Rubble
by Olive Tree Hugger
Summary: Toph stands tall like a mountain. But one word from him and she's reduced to a heap of rubble. Toph is one blind woman who don't need no man...or does she? (slight mentions of Tokka, Kataang, and Zutara) New Update!
1. Chapter 1

_**We saw Katara and Aang raise a family. We saw Zuko's beautiful grandson. We saw Toph's superwoman daughter Lin Beifong lose her bending. But...we don't know who Toph's husband was. This is my take on how Toph met Mr. Right. And, there will be spoilers. If you didn't get to read "The Promise" trilogy that came after ATLA went off the air, you might want to brace yourselves. And since I wouldn't want to break your little hearts every chapter, here are some main things you should already know that happened after our beloved heroes won the war:**_

_**-Katara and Aang became a couple. (DUH)**_

_**-Mai dumped Zuko for being too busy for her. (He's the Fire Lord, what did she expect?)**_

_**-Toph started a metal bending school**_

_**That's it for now! Enjoy the story!**_

* * *

Two calloused hands gripped the door handles of the building. Toph gave them a good yank. When they didn't budge, she smirked. _Good_, she thought, _everything's locked and secure. _She pulled away from the doors and plunged her set of keys into the pocket of her uniform. She sighed as she set a palm flat on the glass door. _One last look, _she thought_._ A strange sense of nostalgia swept through her mind.

Three years running the Beifong Metal Bending Academy and now she had to leave it. Toph was the founder, instructor and holder of this history-making vicinity. Metal bending was figured to be impossible until she discovered it when she was captured by bounty hunters. She'd schooled nearly hundreds of amateur earth benders in the art of metal bending. She cared for it like it was her child. The blind girl did not wish to leave it so soon. But she had to; the Fire Nation awaited her.

After that fateful summer three years ago, came the annual anniversary of the war's end. Toph and her friends gathered together every year in celebration, where they held a toast and banquet to honor the Avatar and his bravery. Toph always enjoyed herself, even though the fireworks were nothing for but a series of ear-popping explosions and the game of charades left her in the dark. The tough bender didn't usually admit it, but she missed her friends dearly and she often felt lonely at work _and_ at home.

Toph started walking to her apartment, shared between herself and an elderly woman named Anzu. She lived near Yu Dao, a Fire-Nation colony within the Earth Kingdom. Being there was both nostalgic and melancholic; it reminded her of the adventures she and her friends had while sneaking around the country incognito as Fire Nation kids. There was no need for that now. Everyone knew who she was: Toph Beifong, earth bending prodigy, discoverer of metal bending and powerful warrior.

On her way home, she'd hear villagers greeting her:

"Hello, Miss Beifong!"

"Toph! How's it goin'?"

"Hey, Toph, marry me!"

Toph, being the type of girl that soaked up worship, appreciated the admiration she received from her neighbors. In return, she served as a protector for them. Thieves, burglars, even petty thugs feared her. She was, surprisingly, the only earth bender in the entire village. And since she happened to be very famous and feared, no one ever dared mess with her or the people.

About a quarter of a mile away from her apartment, she sensed a heavy set figure approaching her home. It was definitely not Anzu; Anzu's feet were frail and her steps were weak. His steps were loaded, hard on his feet; perhaps he was also an earth bender. Accompanied with his footsteps was a brisk, light brush over the ground. It was continuous, consistent- maybe a broom?

Toph hurried towards her home, worrisome and angry. Who was this intruder? What did he want? He should know better than to screw with Toph Beifong! As she grew closer, she could now pick up his breathing patterns and his heart beat. When she was close enough, the man's heart rate only slighted. That told Toph that he saw her.

"Hey!" She nearly shouted, "What are you doing here?!"

Suddenly, his heart picked up speed. It wasn't exactly pounding in his chest, but it was loud enough for Toph to feel. His voice surprised her. Instead of being gruff and coarse-the kind of voice fit for a heavyset man- his voice was calm and smooth. He simply replied,

"Sweeping your porch, Miss Beifong."

_So it_ is_ a broom,_ Toph reckoned. Quickly, she responded, "And why on earth are you doing that?"

The man stopped and his heartbeat peaked. He started to speak uneasily, like he wasn't sure how to answer. Toph raised an eyebrow when he told her that he'd received a request from her to do so. Apparently the man worked for a public cleaning service. The girl wriggled her bare toes on the road; her seismic sense told her that he was in fact speaking the truth.

"Who told you I wanted my porch swept?" She asked. Her anger was long gone, now she was just puzzled.

She could feel the man shift on his feet, like he was nervous. He replied, "I was given a note by two street boys. It had your signature and the seal of the Flying Boar on it. You said you would employ me to clean around your house…for a fee."

Toph settled a hand on her hip. She chuckled piteously, to which the man's heart jumped at. She waved a hand in front of her eyes and explained matter-of-factly,

"I'm blind, buddy. I can't write."

The man's heart rate and breathing both amplified monumentally. She could almost feel the rosy warmth of his blush creeping over his skin. He sputtered out an embarrassed apology and she felt his feet shift. He was leaving.

Toph felt a weird sense of pity mixed with liking for the man. She decided that perhaps she could make it up to him. "Hey!" She called.

She felt him turn around. She couldn't see him, but she could feel his eyes boring into her.

"Tell me who those boys were, the ones who gave you the note." She said.

Suddenly, his heart rate decelerated but she could hear the excitement in his voice. "They were just two street kids. I think one of them was called Qian."

Toph smirked. Oh, she knew Qian. The little runt liked to play pranks on everyone in the village; minding Toph, of course. He didn't want his head bashed in by a blind girl, something Toph respected. So, he played a trick on a village man to see if she would screw him up?

But…

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "I told everyone here from day one that I didn't want my house approached. Didn't you get the message?" She asked, both annoyed and frustrated now.

She could hear the man's sigh. "I moved here yesterday. My uncle owns a road-cleaning service so I got a job easy."

Toph could tell he was speaking the truth. She nodded in understanding. "Okay," she said, "I won't crush you this time. But don't come near my property unless you wish otherwise."

The man's heart rate accelerated. He murmured a quick thanks before he turned around and hurried away. By the sluggish pounding of his soles on the ground, she could tell he was wearing shoes, and probably had some sort of problem with his legs. That wasn't a normal way to run.

When the man was out of sight, Toph sighed and clomped her right foot into the ground, sending a fissure to the edge of the road, behind a few barrels. With a violent yank on Toph's part, a small boy came flying out of the fissure and on his face. Toph stood before him with two hands on her hips.

Yes, she was blind. But she glared in his direction all the same. "_Qian_." She scolded.

Qian stood on his wobbly legs and brushed some dust off of his clothing. "What?" He asked, "It was just a joke, Toph. He walks funny, too"

_Walks funny?_ She wondered what that could mean.

"You stayed to watch, Qian? Did you think I was going to hurt him? Why would you humiliate him like that? He's a newbie in Yu Dao; not cool." She chastised.

She could feel Qian's heart rate explode. She grunted in tedium, "Look, you shouldn't do that. Just because I won't pound on you now, doesn't mean I won't do it next time. Now go home." She ordered.

Qian squealed in fear and took off like lightning. Toph shook her head in mild amusement. She had some crazy neighbors.

_Later that evening…._

Toph and her roommate Anzu sat at the low table eating the dinner Anzu cooked for them. Due to her blindness, Toph couldn't fix a thing to eat, but the elder happily obliged. She didn't seem to mind the messes Toph made, claiming it reminded her of being a mother. Toph sometimes wondered if cooking for her and cleaning after her reminded Anzu of her own children. Either way, she made some darn good tofu.

But no matter how decadent Anzu's tofu was, Toph could only pick at it with her chopsticks. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier that day. Anzu's soft, cracked voice interrupted her train of thought.

"What's wrong, Toph?" She asked.

Toph sighed, settling an elbow on the table and propping her chin up on her upraised hand. "Did you meet the new guy in town? I found him outside the apartment, sweeping. According to other villagers, he 'walks funny'." She was sure to make air quotations to further illustrate her point. Then she added, "Do you know anything about it?"

Anzu was a gossip, something Toph usually distanced herself from. Being the only blind earth bender in Yu Dao meant that people were going to talk about her. Added the fact that she emancipated herself from her wealthy Beifong relatives and was best friends with the Avatar, Toph was the talk of the entire Earth Kingdom. Anzu, on the other hand, made good with what she heard.

The elder's heart rate was steady and calm. She answered in her raspy voice, "Ah, yes. The young man who works for his uncle down the road; his name is Daichi. He's flat-footed. Poor thing looks like a turtle-duck when he runs."

Toph's eyelids flew open. "Do you know if he's an earth bender?" She pressed.

Anzu, however, could not say. "I didn't ask, but I wouldn't be surprised. He's a stocky one, for sure."

The blind girl leaned back from the table and pondered. Another earth bender with a disability; what luck! She started nibbling on her tofu, smiling to herself.

Anzu smirked at Toph. _Someone is smitten_, she thought.

* * *

Another day passed and Toph was in her room, struggling to pack for her trip to the Fire Nation. It was hard enough not being able to see; she didn't have a clue what to bring with her! On the brink of causing a horrible earthquake, Toph fingered through her wardrobe, frustrated.

_This feels soft enough_, she thought, throwing whatever it was backwards. Hopefully, it landed in her bag.

"Would you like some help?" Anzu asked from the door. Toph's shoulders slumped and she stepped backwards, letting Anzu take the job. "Please." The blind girl said.

She walked over to her bed and crumpled onto it. "Just make sure everything is comfortable enough." She said.

The elder asked, "But there will be a ball, won't you want to pack a nice dress for it?"

Toph shook her head, scoffing, "How many times do I have to tell you, Anzu? I'm not one of those prissy girls whose dresses are so tight that they can't even breathe in them. I like comfort and I like soft clothes. I don't care how people judge my appearance."

Anzu looked at her for a while before shrugging and commenting, "I'll just throw in one gown for you."

Toph sighed in response. So many things were running through her mind. Another holiday in the Fire Nation. Another year listening to the primal noises coming from Sokka and Suki's room in the nighttime, another year having to put up with Aang and Katara's lovey-dovey crap, and always was the awkward silence between her and Zuko when the other couples got too gooey in front of them. Another Shun-Yun performance she couldn't adequately enjoy, another side-trip to Ember Island, another blind, third wheel of a girl who didn't know where to fit.

The blind girl felt her face heat up. She struggled to keep her tears at bay. Anzu looked back over her shoulder,

"Toph," she asked, "Are you alright?"

Toph shook her head and exhaled as slowly as possible. _Calm down, stupid,_ she scolded herself. Turning on her side, she blinked back the remainder of her tears. She heard the elder say, "I believe that's everything, Toph. Get a good night's sleep so you aren't drowsy during the trip."

The blind girl clenched her jaw, feeling her lips tremble. Anzu sounded like a mother, too much like one right now. Toph heard her blow out a few candles, and she whispered a goodnight before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Toph followed her feet's instincts onto the barge. The overwhelming sound of refugees/travelers talking combined with burly seamen shouting and whistles blowing was too much to bear for the blind girl. Her only solace was the metal ship; having developed metal bending, she could easily pick up vibrations and heart beats and footsteps. She could see perfectly…sort of.

She could hear a couple of footsteps approaching her now. These footsteps shuffled towards her in a determined stride. This group of people, three by the looks of it, probably knew who she was.

Toph turned around and heard a male voice say, "Hey, you're Toph Beifong, right?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah, I am. Who are you?"

The man replied, "I'm Shang, these are my friends Juniper and Hojo."

Two voices, male and female, mumbled a 'hello'. Toph waved in their directions, "Nice to meet you." She said.

Shang asked, "Are you going to the Fire Nation, too?" When Toph nodded affirmative, she could hear his heartbeat pick up. He exclaimed, "Really? That's great! So are we. How about you come with us? We've got a great spot down in the haul."

Toph didn't sense malignancy in his voice, but even if she did, she could care for herself. She replied, "Yeah, sure."

Shang and his buddies led Toph down to a small but not crowded space below the deck. She felt their weights shift as more mass covered the area around them. They were sitting. Shang patted a spot next to him, "Come sit by me, Toph." He offered.

She followed the vibrations his hand made and slowly sat herself down onto what felt like a plush rug. "Hm. Nice place you got here." she half-joked.

Shang nodded and rejoined, "We'll have it a lot better once we get to the Fire Nation, won't we guys?"

Juniper retorted, "Yeah. Whatever."

Toph wondered what the deal with her was. Her heart was booming in her chest. She turned to Shang and asked, "Why will it be better in the Fire Nation? Do you have a house there or something?"

Shang shook his head, replying, "No, we're a troop of dancers. Oh, and Juniper sings. We call ourselves the 'Endless Conundrum'. Those hotheads love a good performance, and the end of the war anniversary is the perfect opportunity to start a tour."

Hojo further explained, "Shang's a bit of a dreamer."

Shang scoffed, "Maybe ya'll are just pessimists."

Juniper droned, "Yeah, that's it."

Toph smirked a little. At this rate, Juniper would be on a welfare list quickly. She asked, "How'd you guys all meet?"

Juniper quickly retorted, "Me and Shang used to date."

She could feel Shang's heart rate intensify at a staggeringly high rate. She could feel tension in the air, she could practically smell it. Hojo sensed this too, because he broke the silence. He turned to Toph and asked,

"You're really blind? So why do you look so normal?"

Toph could feel Juniper and Shang lean over to smack Hojo over his head. "Hojo! You can't just ask people why they look normal!" Shang reprimanded.

The blind girl stifled a chuckle. "You're not that bright, are you?" She asked Hojo.

The boy sheepishly shook his head. Shang steered the conversation in a separate direction, turning to Toph.

"I know you might get this question a lot, but I have to know, what's the Avatar like?" He asked.

Toph smiled. Yes, she got that question all the time. Everywhere she went, actually. "He's a great person. He's really nice." She replied genuinely. Of course, Aang was great. He wasn't just the Avatar to her: he was a pupil and close confidante. Unlike her, he never liked confrontation or roughhousing. He was definitely her polar opposite. He was the dandy to her lion.

Hojo asked, "What was it like fighting Fire Lord Ozai?"

Toph shrugged, "Don't ask me, I wasn't in a room with the guy. But I did fight with my friends Sokka and Suki during the invasions."

Juniper brightened up, giddily thrusting herself in the conversation, "I heard you almost died."

The blind girl nodded, "On more than one occasion. But when Ozai launched his new attack, me and Sokka started dismantling air ships. We were on top of one balloon when a couple of fire benders caught us off guard and pushed us over the edge. My friend Sokka-he's a master swordsman-held onto me and jabbed his sword into the haul. We fell onto this metal plate jutting out of the platform and Sokka broke his leg. He was holding on to me, and I was dangling over the edge. If it hadn't been for Suki bringing around another balloon, we both would've died."

She could sense the goose bumps she gave her audience. Their heart rates were through the roof now. Oh yes, Toph was one hell of an awesome story teller.

Shang was the first to speak, "That's amazing Toph. I can't even imagine how you must've felt."

Toph, loving the attention, only shrugged it off. "I was pretty freaked out because I was hanging by Sokka's hand over thousands of feet of air. By the end, I was just glad I didn't become road splat."

Juniper asked, "Hey, isn't Fire Lord Zuko your friend too? I heard he burned you once."

Toph grimaced slightly at the memory. "Zuko was a prince of the Fire Nation and to get his dad's approval he had to capture the Avatar. Needless to say, he wasn't very good at it. Aang's light on his feet but more importantly, he's evasive. After a while, Zuko found us in the Western Air Temple and tried to join our team. Everyone else thought he was just trying to get Aang but I can sense lies through my feet and he was telling the truth. Later, I found him in the forest and he accidently burned my feet."

Hojo and Shang both winced and Juniper's eyes lit up like stars. "I saw a painting of him once. He's gorgeous, even with his scar." She breathed.

Toph rolled her pale blue eyes. "I'll take your word for it."

Juniper stuttered out an awkward apology. Shang offered her a glare before turning his full body to Toph. "I can't believe I'm sitting next to a member of _Team Avatar_," he nearly exclaimed, "Do you know how legendary you've become? You guys were kids when you stopped the war!"

Toph grinned, "Yeah, I know. It still feels unreal to me. I started out as a twelve year old rich girl with overprotective parents, moonlighting as an earth bending wrestler. Then I met Aang and the others and well…now I'm a sixteen year old earth bending teacher with my own school and everything."

Shang added, "You guys really changed the world."

The blind girl swallowed a small lump in her throat. She was starting to feel nostalgic, _moving on, moving on!_

"So…'Endless Conundrum' huh?" she started, "Any of you guys benders?"

She felt a unanimous heart rate drop. Juniper sighed, "I wish."

Shang explained, "None of us bend. We try incorporating fire and earth bending techniques into our choreography; folks love it."

Toph nodded in respect. "That sounds great. Maybe at the banquet you guys can show off your moves."

Hojo replied, "Yeah! That'd be awesome!"

Juniper asked, "You think Fire Lord Zuko would let us?"

Toph smirked, punching one clenched fist into her other hand, "Sure! Unless he wants a face full of boulders."

* * *

Two weeks passed before the barge finally docked on Fire Nation borders. Toph rather enjoyed herself on the ship with her newfound friends, but after such a long time cooped up in a small space with limited movement, it was nice to get out on solid rock and breathe some fresh air.

She stepped onto the dock and wriggled her toes. "Ahh, sweet freedom!" She sighed happily.

She felt Shang's footsteps behind her, Juniper and Hojo following suit. She spun around and smiled. "Well, I have to get to the royal palace and see my friends. Want to come?"

Shang replied, "Sorry, Toph. We've actually got a lot to get done if we're going to perform at the banquet. That and the performances we already had planned. We're basically booked."

Toph's shoulders slumped slightly. "Oh, alright then. Well, good luck, guys." She said, waving goodbye as their footsteps grew fainter and fainter. Then she turned around and started walking to the town accompanying the docks.

As usual, she couldn't see the entire hubbub, but she could hear it. It was a loud town, one with the occasional burst of flames coming from street performers-fire benders. It was crowded, what with the celebration coming up soon. To her greatest annoyance, she felt herself being jostled around and squished between vendors and patrons. Toph wasn't one to be _jostled._ She stomped one foot firmly on the ground and started to move the earth beneath her, casting her forward and shoving everyone else back.

Basically, she pulled the ground from underneath them, leaving them in a heap of dust and confusion.

Toph smirked in triumph and continued walking towards a clearing when she felt vibrations. She stopped and listened. The vibrations got closer and closer until Toph crashed into the source. She wrapped her arms around the individual and squeezed tightly.

"I missed you too, Toph." They wheezed. Toph squeezed harder, prompting them to shout, "Toph, please!"

The earth bender let go and grinned evilly. "Sorry, Sparky."

Zuko smoothed his robes down and muttered, "Yeah right."

Toph gave him a friendly punch and asked, "How've you been, Zuko? How are you out in public alone? Wouldn't everyone be going bananas right now?"

The young Fire Lord rubbed his arm where she hit him and replied, "I'm in disguise Toph. I needed some 'me' time. You have no idea how stressful being a ruler is."

Toph nodded and followed Zuko as he started walking. "So you haven't seen anyone else yet?" She asked, referring to their friends.

Zuko responded, "No, but I saw you in the market and figured I'd say hello. Too bad you nearly crushed my ribs."

The blind girl smiled proudly, triumphantly, like it was a great feat to hug a man so hard that his rib cage almost snapped.

The young man rolled his eyes and smiled in endearment. "You haven't changed, Toph. Not a bit. You're still the same abusive girl I met three years ago."

Toph shrugged, blowing it off. "I'm just passionate, that's all!"

Zuko smirked and asked her about her metal bending school. That got Toph into a tizzy and they talked about her work for the remainder of their walk.

Once they neared the palace, Zuko shed his robes and pulled his hair back, into the top knot fit for the Fire Lord. He led Toph inside and was instantly met with numerous servants. They all became so engrossed in caring for Zuko that they'd pushed Toph to the ground.

"Hey!" Toph shouted.

At the sound her voice, Fire Lord and servants alike froze in their spots. Toph took advantage of their silence and ordered, "Everyone _away_ from king 'Sparky', please!"

She felt a unanimous shift in position, with Zuko still in the center. She grasped his robe and tugged him away into a hall.

"Uh, Toph, where are we going?" Zuko asked.

Toph replied, still clutching his robe, "To the dining hall, I'm starved."

Zuko retorted, "Wrong way Toph."

Toph stopped walking, embarrassed. "Right, I knew that."

* * *

Zuko and Toph sat at the royal dining table, blind girl eating tremendous amounts of food and Fire Lord sipping wine. They chatted about Fire Nation politics, preparations for the ball, until Toph felt a series of vibrations growing close to the room. The footsteps were light, quick, as if the carrier was floating on his tiptoes.

In the middle of her dialogue, she slammed her fists on the table and shouted happily, "Twinkle toes!"

Right on cue, the bald monk stuck his head through the doorway. The familiar blue arrow on his forehead, orange robes, glider and Momo the lemur on his shoulder completed the picture- not that Toph could see it anyways.

The young Avatar replied just as giddily, "Hey, Zuko! Hey, Toph! How are you?" He didn't sound quite the same, what with puberty, but it was still Aang.

Zuko hugged Aang first, letting Momo crawl onto his shoulder and lick his crown. Toph wrapped her arms around her best friend and marveled, "Aang, you're taller than me! I can't believe it, you've finally become a man!"

Aang blushed and Toph added, "Well, sort of."

The Fire Lord pulled a seat out for him and asked, "How was your trip, Aang?"

True to his animated nature, Aang delved right into a thrilling tale of how he, Appa, and Momo got lost on the way there and befriended some tiger-seals and what not.

Toph sensed that not all was right in the room. There was supposed to be a second pair of feet with Aang, and they weren't Momo's.

"Hey, where's Sugar Queen?" Toph asked.

She felt Aang's heartbeat droop and she knew before the words even came out of his mouth: "Katara and I aren't together anymore." He answered solemnly.

Instantaneously, she felt Zuko's heart rate quicken and she could tell that this visit was going to be loaded with drama. _Love triangle, anyone?_

"Really?" She asked Aang, "Why not?"

"Katara said that our relationship felt forced. She claimed that she still loved me but didn't want to be with me." Aang said.

Zuko asked, "Is she still coming?" At this, Toph snickered. Aang nodded, replying, "Yeah. She, Sokka and Suki are all coming."

Toph merely shrugged and said, "Don't let it get you down, Aang. I'm sure everything will be fine between you two." In her head, she continued the sentence, _but Sparky and Sugar Queen will be screwing like cats and dogs by the end of the week or my name isn't Toph Beifong._

Zuko, Aang, and Toph were in the instrument room, playing terribly off-key music and laughing when a servant walked in and bowed to Zuko.

"Lord Zuko, Master Katara and her friends are here." She spoke softly.

Zuko smiled from ear to ear, and Toph could feel both his and Aang's heartbeats running marathons.

"Show them in." Zuko stated.

The brown haired, blue eyed water bender walked in, smiling. Toph grinned, Katara was so demure and calm that even her footsteps felt like light rain. She could hear Zuko's breathing. If he were a polar bear-dog, his tail would be thumping furiously at the ground.

She felt Katara cross the room and hug Zuko. "Hi." She murmured to him. Then Toph allowed Katara to embrace her, before giving her an affectionate whack on the arm. Then Katara went to Aang and despite the awkwardness, she hugged him as well. "I missed you." Toph could hear her whisper.

Then, of course, Sokka sauntered in rambling, "What's up, guys? Are you ready for the holiday of your lifetime?"

Suki followed suit and snickered, "You say that _every_ year, Sokka. And you happen to be the first one to pass out every night."

Sokka smirked at his girlfriend and teased, "It's not like you can handle your liquor any longer."

Suki only rolled her eyes and went to embrace the rest of the group. Zuko clasped his hands together, asking,

"So, what do you guys want to do first?"

Toph crossed her arms over her chest. The heartbeats and vibrations in this room were loud enough to piss off a sky bison. Tensions (both emotional and sexual) were wafting throughout the room, and Toph foresaw some serious dramatic confrontation ahead.

"I think I'm just going to grab some fire flakes, sit back, and enjoy the show." She declared.

* * *

**_End chapter one! Can you guess who the lucky man is yet? And one more thing, who's your favorite character in ATLA? What about LoK (Legend of Korra)?_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey, again. Here's a new chapter for you! **_

**Chapter 2**

Being the tomboy she was, Toph never appreciated the "girl-time" Katara insisted she take part in. A day after their arrival in the Fire Nation, the older girls discussed getting some R & R to ready themselves for the banquet. Zuko gave them directions to the best spa in the Fire Nation and wrote them a pass, offering to pay for the treatment himself.

Being the girly girls they were, Katara and Suki wanted to go all out. Skin treatments with pumice and volcanic ash, hair masks made of passion fruit and fire roses, and a thorough soaking in muddy water. To Toph, it was all unnecessary. Couldn't they just roll around in some mud and throw ripe fruits at each other? Surely, they could reach the same results?

However, the blind girl couldn't get them to see otherwise.

"Here we are!" Katara exclaimed, looking up at the tall, red colored building.

"The 'Golden Oyster'." Suki read off of the sign. She and Katara looked at each other and giggled with excitement.

Toph sighed and droned, "Let's just get this over with."

The trio stepped inside and Toph was bombarded with at least twenty different perfume scents and the sound of women gossiping.

"Ugh, I don't want to be here right now." She whined.

Katara scolded, "Toph, if you stayed with the boys you would've had to sit through pissing and burping contests."

Toph huffed, "I would've won both." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking much like a spoiled child. In which case, she was one.

Katara shuddered and Suki retorted, "Too much info, Toph."

The trio approached the owner of the spa and Katara held up a note, saying, "We're here for the full day treatment, upon request of Fire Lord Zuko."

The owner introduced herself with much enthusiasm, "Of course, his Majesty's guests are always welcome here! My name is Lan, follow me and I'll show you to our volcanic steam baths."

Toph smiled; as long as there were rocks in the tub with her, she'd be perfectly fine. "Sweetness." She uttered.

Minutes later, Toph was in a plush towel, submerged in the bubbling water from the chest down. Suki and Katara were beside her, their faces painted with mud and eyes covered with orange slices. Occasionally, one of them would say something and they would giggle about it for a minute or so before slipping into a comfortable silence.

Toph thought it was time to break the ice. "So, Katara, what happened between you and Twinkle toes?"

She sensed Katara's limbs go taut. Her heart rate was pretty high now. "Nothing." Katara said nervously.

Toph rolled her blind eyes. "You know better than to lie to me, Sugar Queen. Spill it."

The water bender sighed in defeat. "Even from the start of our relationship, Aang initiated everything! Our first kiss, Aang _forced_ it on me. I know he was in love with me, and I know he still is, but we moved too fast. The only reason I stayed with him after the war's end was because I felt like we were still kids travelling the world. But I'm almost eighteen; now I have a duty to my village and my people. I can't be the Avatar's girl and spend my time travelling and having adventures." She explained sadly.

Suki asked, "How'd Aang take it?"

Katara's voice broke, "He was devastated! He took off on his glider for two days before I saw him again. He refused to talk to me at first. But then he packed up Appa, kissed my cheek and told me he forgave me…like it was a _favor _he did me," Katara's voice was semi-angry now.

Suki pursed her lips. "Wow, Aang's usually so collected. I can't imagine him so upset."

Toph shook her head, "You should have seen him in the desert. When we lost Appa, he went berserk. He went into the Avatar state and almost killed a bunch of sand benders."

Suki shook her head in pity. "Poor guy. It must be hard being the Avatar and having to handle so much emotional trauma."

Katara sighed. "The problem is, if I ever get into another relationship, Aang will never forgive me."

Toph asked, already knowing the answer, "Is it Fire Lord Sparky?"

Katara blushed, "How did you know?!" She sputtered.

The blind girl splashed her with some water and snickered, "You just told me."

Suki gasped, a big grin forming on her face. "You like Zuko!?" she nearly shouted.

Katara splashed her with water, exclaiming, "Yes, sort of, I don't know! I've always been drawn to him, I guess."

Toph added, "That's why you were the most upset when he tried to join us. After he betrayed us for Azula in Ba Sing Se, you took it personally!"

The water bender crossed her arms over her chest, "Yeah." She muttered.

Suki commented, "You guys have a lot of history."

Katara nodded, saying, "Too much to ignore."

It got quiet again and Katara turned to Toph. "So, Toph, you got a date for the banquet?"

Toph felt her cheeks flush, and she thanked Kyoshi that her face was caked with mud at the moment. She rejoined, "No! And I don't need one!"

The water bender smirked, "Yes you do, Toph. Everyone is worried about you. You've never been in a relationship. Frankly, people are saying that you're not interested in boys."

Toph's face burned and she growled, "That's not it! I just don't want a boyfriend, I don't need a man!"

Suki shrugged, "Maybe you don't need one. But I think you'd appreciate the type of worship a girl gets from her man. I do."

Toph replied, "I'm sure Sokka's a great boy toy, Suki. But I don't know that many guys that are trustworthy and dateable."

Katara asked, "You've spent your entire career teaching earth benders, I'm sure you've had a student that piqued your interest!"

The blind girl shook her head vehemently, "No way," she said, "I never form attachments with a student. Ever."

Katara replied, "Someone in the village? On your way here? Come on Toph, just because your blind doesn't mean you don't know anyone!"

Toph retorted semi-angrily, "You don't have a date either!"

The water bender smacked her upside the head with a whip of liquid. "Don't turn this around, Toph. I still have options. Now, tell me."

The earth bender grumbled. A faint voice in the back of her head repeated, _"Hey, you're Toph Beifong, right?"_ She smiled slightly at the memory of Shang's voice. Shang's voice was deep, with a hint of that slick Ba Sing Se accent, and it was smoother than Jet's voice, like the skin on Momo's paws. _Wait, did I just think that?_ Toph thought in horror. _Hey, Shang _did_ sound pretty sexy, _her mind counteracted.

Katara almost squealed, "There _is_ somebody! Who is it?"

Toph groaned; she was caught. "Okay, I met this one boy while I was on my way here. His name is Shang. He's here in the capital."

Suki commented excitedly, "So ask him out to the banquet."

Toph shook her head, "He's going to be there, he wants to perform a dance with his group. That reminds me, I should probably tell Zuko."

Katara's eyebrows shot up, her orange slices falling into the water. "A dancer? That's awesome! I bet he's good looking, too."

Toph peeled an orange slice off of her own face, exposing a pale blue eye. "I wouldn't know. But he _sounds_ good-looking."

Suki said, "Well, if you want to win him over, you know what you have to do."

Toph grimaced. "I don't want to woo Shang by dressing up all pretty and giggling like an air head. He seemed to like me enough the way I am."

Suki countered, "That's not what I meant. I meant that you have to tell him how you feel."

The blind girl stood up, sopping wet towel clinging to her body. "To be honest, I'm not even sure I feel that way about him. I like Shang, but I don't love him. I'm just…confused."

Katara and Suki exchanged meaningful glances and sighed. "Toph," Katara said, "You have to make a move or else you could spend the rest of your life regretting it."

They felt a splash of water and Toph was out of the tub, walking away. "I know." She whispered, mostly to herself.

* * *

Two days before the anniversary banquet/toast, everything was chaotic. Toph could barely walk anywhere without being run down by hasty servants or sages. The time she spent with Suki and Katara was usually in town, shopping or eating; the time she spent with the boys always consisted with wrestling, sparring, or a combination of the two…in the mud.

She picked her toes, pet Appa, and practiced her bending for a good three hours today…she was growing impatient. Did no one have time to spend with her? Today it seemed like everyone else had their own thing to do. Zuko was off being a Fire Lord, Katara was busy ignoring Aang, Sokka and Suki were spending some quality time together and Toph…_well,_ Toph was bored.

Toph wandered around the palace, looking for Aang. In a contest of fun between Aang and Katara, the Avatar was always winner. Not that Toph didn't like Katara, it was just that Aang didn't mind getting into dangerous situations every once in a while.

She kept her ears sharp for the sound of the monk's laughter and her feet alert for his footsteps as she wandered around the main floor of the palace. She called, "Aang? Where are you, Twinkle toes?"

"Over here!" Came the answer. Toph turned a right and made her way towards the sound of his newly deepened voice. She entered a door way and found Aang playing with Momo. Their vibrations were all over the place, mainly because they were flying and floating and Toph didn't pick that stuff up well.

"Hey. I'm bored." Toph said bluntly. Aang chuckled lightly and blew a puff of air at her before floating downwards.

"Me too," Aang said, "How about we go into town and see what's new?"

Toph agreed right away, and within minutes they were out of the palace and venturing out into the capital of the Fire Nation.

The town was lively with torches, vibrant red banners and the loud voices of public vendors. A loud BANG sounded somewhere and Toph was almost sure she could hear someone shouting, "My cabbages!" in the distance.

Aang subtly wrapped his fingers around Toph's clothed arm. When she raised an eyebrow, he simply stated, "There's a lot going on, I wouldn't want you getting lost."

Toph discounted it and allowed the gesture. For a while, they walked aimlessly, till Aang spoke again, "So, Toph, while I was visiting Ba Sing Se, Yao kept asking about you. I think someone's in love."

The earth bender grinned. Ah, yes, Yao. He was the youngest personal guard of King Kuei, and practically drooling over Toph all the time. Last year, when King Kuei and his guards attended the anniversary banquet, Yao was caught sneaking glances at her. When he asked her to dance, she first refused. But after much coaxing from the all-wise Avatar, she was swayed.

It wasn't all that unpleasant. Toph was much shorter than Yao, considering he was almost nineteen. Her head reached his chest plate. Aang commented that it seemed cute, earning a fist in his gut. Toph couldn't see his face, but she knew he was good looking, courtesy of Katara's wandering eyes and fast tongue. He also smelled good, was shy, and very respectful. He held her at arm's length, danced slowly and his hands never wandered. He kept the conversation short, clean, but managed to extract a couple of giggles from the girl's part. Toph grew fond of him but no relationship evolved beyond that one dance.

Apparently, Yao never got the message.

Toph snickered a bit, prompting Aang to half-chastise, "Toph! He really is fond of you. He kept talking about your hair and how pretty your eyes are."

The blind girl pretended to gag, "Oh please, Aang. You know I don't do gooey stuff."

Aang sighed, shaking his head. Being the mediator between the spirits and humans was one task; keeping a hard-headed Toph in check was another. "Toph, I think you're just scared."

Toph stopped cold in her tracks and planted one hand on her hip. "Scared? Me? Uh, _hello_, I'm an earth bending prodigy!" She jabbed a finger into her own chest.

The monk replied, "All I'm saying is that you have so many options and yet you push them all away. It makes me think that you don't want a relationship because you're afraid of the heart break."

Toph retorted, "You mean like you and Sweetness?"

The Avatar inhaled sharply, and Toph felt his heart rate triple in rhythm. She felt guilty now; it definitely was cheap to bring up his and Katara's relationship. "I'm sorry, Aang. That was a low blow." She murmured.

Aang took her hand and squeezed it, smiling softly. "No, it's OK; I think I'm getting over it anyways."

The earth bender smiled as well, knowing she'd been forgiven. _Good old Twinkle toes, never holding a grudge. _"Good for you, Aang. Maybe you could find yourself a new squeeze, then?"

Aang's heart rate exploded and he actually stopped walking. His palm felt wet in Toph's hand. "I…don't know if I'm ready for that…" He managed to stammer.

Toph raised an eyebrow, replying, "Aang, you can't wait around forever. Eventually, you're going to have to repopulate the Air Temples. I want to see some mini-Twinkle toes flitting around before I die."

At this, Aang's heartbeat softened, but not much. Toph deduced that he in fact _wanted_ that. "I don't mean to push the whole 'fate of the world' thing on your shoulders again, but you _will _need to start procreating to keep your heritage alive. That means marrying a non-bender; you'll up your chances of getting a whole litter of air babies."

Aang sniggered, saying, "Toph, they aren't baby lemurs for you to call them a litter. My babies aren't lemurs."

Toph squeezed his hand again, admiring the way he spoke so affectionately for the children who weren't even born yet. She replied, "I want you to be happy, and I think getting serious with someone is what you need. You have a lot of love to give, Aang."

With that, Toph landed a good, affectionate punch on his bicep. Aang responded with a muted grunt of pain, but he beamed at her.

After some time of travelling in a friendly silence, Aang nudged Toph and exclaimed, "Hey, Toph, there's some kids dressed like us in the square! They're dancing!"

"Dancing?" Toph repeated, now excited. _Could it be Shang and his friends?_ She felt her stomach flip, making her queasy.

Aang towed her along by her hand into the crowd surrounding the dancers. One male, wearing a skull cap with a blue arrow on it and orange robes was break dancing and flipping around the way an air bender might. A girl was dancing with him; she was dressed in green and yellow, and her black hair was puffed up. The girl's movements were sharper, slower than the flips the boy was doing. Together, they danced in such a way that made it look like they were sparring (without their respective elements).

Toph could only count two pairs of feet. By the looks of it, it was only Hojo and Juniper. Where was Shang? She expected a third set of feet to emerge, but that never happened. The dance ended, the crowd cheered, dropping coins into a hat and walking away.

Aang ecstatically approached the dancers, who at this point were counting their money. "That was awesome!" He exclaimed.

The boy dressed like him nearly pissed in his pants, as far as his heartbeat could tell Toph. "Spirits! It's really you, you're the Avatar!" The girl dressed as Toph gasped and grinned.

Aang returned the smile and held out a hand, "Yeah, I'm Avatar Aang. What's your name?"

Hojo took the handshake and giggled like a school girl. "Juniper, look! _I'm shaking_ _Avatar Aang's hand!"_

Aang merely chuckled and Toph cleared her throat. "That's Hojo and Juniper. I met them on my way here."

Juniper acknowledged her at least. "Hi, Toph." She said.

Hojo was too busy squealing over Aang's hand. Toph waved at the two and bit her tongue from asking about the third crew member.

There was no need to; Aang took the liberty of asking, "Is it just you guys?"

Juniper shook her head and replied, "No, Shang's back at our apartment. He's still making his Zuko costume."

At this, a funny wave of relief washed over Toph. Aang beamed in excitement. He asked, "Wow! You guys are dressing up like everyone in the gang, huh?"

Hojo answered, "Well, usually just the benders."

Toph cracked with a small giggle, "Don't let Sokka hear you."

Aang sniggered at the inside joke. Juniper continued, "Anyway, if we are performing at the banquet, then we will need to do role play…in honor of Team Avatar, of course." She bowed slightly to show her respect.

The Avatar bowed back, with a gracious smile. "That's so cool! But there are only three of you!" He observed.

Hojo responded with, "We're taking intermissions. We'll switch off and-"

Juniper smacked a hand over his mouth, cutting him off. "Sorry," she said unapologetically, "It's a surprise."

Toph and Aang shrugged, "No worries," Aang replied, "I like surprises."

Hojo and Juniper grinned back and Aang had an idea. "Hey! If you guys want to role play, maybe you should come back to the palace and meet the rest of the gang…maybe you could even observe a sparring session."

Toph couldn't see, but judging from their racing hearts and goose bumps, their faces must have looked _priceless. _It was times like this she wished she could see.

"We're going to meet Zuko, Sokka, Katara and Suki!" Hojo shrieked, pumping a fist up in the air. Juniper clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "Shang won't want to miss this! We should tell him."

Aang held up a hand and replied, "No worries, I'll get him myself. Just tell me where and I'll bring him to the palace on Appa. Toph," He glanced at the blind girl, "You can take them to the palace."

Toph nodded, grinning. "Sure thing, Twinkle toes."

Hojo's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. "_JUNIPER!_ Toph just used that one nickname on the Avatar!" He squealed, nearly hopping in joy. Juniper smirked apologetically at Toph, but the look was wasted on her.

The earth bender crossed her arms behind her back and thrust a finger at him. "OK, you've officially earned the moniker 'fan boy'. Happy now?"

Unexpectedly, Hojo started to hyperventilate. "Toph freaking Beifong just granted me a new nickname! Oh, spirits!" With that, he collapsed in a metaphorical puddle of raging hormones. Juniper gasped and started picking him up. Toph helped and slung him over her shoulder like a bag of rocks. She glanced back at Aang and said, "See you on the other side, Twinkle toes."

The Avatar waved as Juniper, Toph, and an unconscious Hojo disappeared in the distance. Smirking, he fished a smooth, bison shaped whistle from his robe and set his lips against the opening. He blew.

* * *

Shang was nearly finished stitching the Fire Nation insignia into his Zuko costume when a knock sounded at the door. New to the city, Shang wasn't open to strange callers. "Who is it?" He called. When there was no answer, he shouted, "Hojo if that's you, I'm going to rip up all your girlie scrolls! Yeah, that's right, I know about them!"

Another knock sounded and a frustrated Shang ripped the door open. He was both startled and astounded at the sight of someone was in fact, not Hojo. Unless, of course, Hojo suddenly had tattooed his head and arms and toted around a giant furry creature.

Aang smiled and waved amicably, "Hi, I'm Avatar Aang, and you must be Shang. I'm here to take you to the royal palace to meet my friends."

There are very little things that can freak out Appa the sky bison. Fire is one. Shang's shrill, womanly cry is another.

* * *

Back in the royal palace, Hojo and Juniper were busy awing at the sheer awesomeness that was Team Avatar. Sokka took to them right away, falling into his 'Wang Fire' disguise and amusing them, thrusting his sword around and performing advanced moves for them to mimic.

"If you're going to mirror me," Sokka declared while stroking his fake beard, "you have to memorize the way I talk, walk, and fight. You must adopt my entire persona!"

Suki half-muttered, "Just tie your hair back and carry some meat around with you. You'll be alright."

The rest of the group chuckled. Sokka's prosthetic eyebrows furrowed at her. Zuko, free of his duties for the time being, lounged about with them in the garden. Juniper, much to Katara's chagrin, sat devoutly by his side. She asked him countless questions and continued to bat her large green eyes at him. Juniper's hand always found its way to the Fire Lord's knee, thigh, or shoulder. Her words were heavily flirtatious. Being the gentleman he was, Zuko always steered the conversation back to more innocent bases and kept his distance.

Katara watched carefully and closely, thinking, _that_ _little harlot! Zuko worked with Jun for La's sake, and he didn't fall for her! What makes Juniper think he'll ever like her?_

Toph drifted into the water bender's scope. "Hey Sweetness, feeling envious?" She asked, smirking.

Katara folded her arms underneath her breasts, trying to accentuate them enough for Zuko to notice. "I don't know if I like this Juniper chick, that's all."

Toph snorted, sounding somewhat like an ostrich-horse. "Whatever you say, Sugar Queen." Katara huffed and puffed in response.

The girl suddenly whipped a rock the size of Momo at Katara. Within a millisecond, Katara screeched and sliced through the rock with the water from her water skin.

Once the rock lay in rubble on the floor, the water bender glared at Toph. She shouted, "Toph! For the love of Yue, what was that even for?!"

Toph could sense the heartbeats of her friends roaring like lion-turtles. They were probably all staring at her in shock. She merely shrugged and claimed,

"These two dancers want to copy us, right? They should probably see us in action then."

Hojo and Juniper exchanged ecstatic glances. Katara grinned, much to Toph's excitement. The two circled each other, slowly and carefully.

It was like a dance, the blind one stomping down on the tile and thrusting her arms back and forth with very rough, brash movements. Rocks, stone and metal were moving on the whim of her fingers and toes. Hers was of brute strength while Katara relied on flexibility. She twisted and rolled her arms around as she dipped and ducked and dodged. Water and sweat mingled and formed helixes as they neared their target. Then she lashed out a tentacle of water and struck the ground in front of Toph, prompting the earth bender to plod a chunk of stone from a fountain and fling it at her.

Katara caught the rock with a stream of cold water, turning it into ice before smashing it and sending the icicles flying.

Toph raised a barricade of stone to catch the icicles coming her way, before round-house kicking it back into Katara. The water bender flipped out of the way, allowing the rock wall to crash into a small pond. She then splayed her fingers into opposite positions and slowly waved them back and forth. Her formidable move, the water octopus, was coming out to play.

Eight tentacles of water simultaneously lashed out at Toph, who raised herself on a platform before pelting Katara with rocks.

Busy with the task of keeping herself safe from incoming rocks, she couldn't focus on her octopus formation. Toph easily dismantled it, letting the water fall around her like heavy rain. She formed a rock prison around Katara and yelled, "I am the undefeated Earth Rumble Six Champion!"

She suddenly felt a few fluid-like vibrations beneath her and before she could react, Katara had her in a cocoon of ice, frozen to the floor. The blind girl could not stand being defeated and relentlessly struggled in her state of captivity.

"I _will_ have a rematch!" She shouted angrily.

Katara chortled and pressed her palms over her waist. "Not now Toph; admit it, I'm a better bender than you."

Toph shook her head violently, "NEVER!" She screeched.

As Katara opened her mouth to rebuke, Aang and Shang cleared their throats from the entrance of the garden. Everyone looked back at them and Toph unwittingly smiled at the feeling of Shang's heavy heartbeat and voice. Katara saw this and melted the ice away from Toph, who then stood up and spoke nonchalantly,

"Hey. What took you so long?" She asked, feigning disinterest.

The Avatar answered, "We were watching you two spar and we were so impressed that we didn't want to interrupt!"

Shang added, "I was_ really_ impressed. I've never seen such powerful earth bending."

Toph hid a grin and hoped that her skin wasn't glowing a bright red. She waved it off, saying, "Eh, it's no big deal."

Katara smirked, and said, "So, Zuko, you think they should perform a dance at the banquet?"

The Fire Lord nodded in enthusiasm, mostly because Katara was speaking to him, "Yes. Absolutely." He said.

Juniper dipped into a heavily exaggerated bow and breathed, "Thank you, your Highness!"

Zuko cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. Before he could say anything, Aang asked, "Will you guys change into party attire once you've finished?"

Juniper nodded enthusiastically, while Hojo and Shang shrugged. Being men, they obviously didn't care so much about fashion.

Katara teased, stealing a look at Toph, "Maybe you guys should get some comfortable dancing shoes."

Toph clenched her fists tightly and stifled a sigh, wondering why Katara was trying to make it so obvious. She felt hers face heating up and her heart was pounding so hard she was afraid her friends might hear it.

The Avatar piped in, "Maybe you guys want to observe more bending? I could show you some moves."

Hojo and Shang quickly agreed with happy looks on their faces. They followed Aang to a clear open space and admired his bending prowess. Suki and Juniper fell into a deep conversation about the color blue and siblings Katara and Sokka started to argue over something petty.

Toph trudged about to the singular figure still left in her scope. She sat next to him on a fountain ledge and acknowledged half-heartedly, "Hey."

Zuko, his eyes on Katara's form, muttered a "Hi". Toph rubbed her knees and said, "We're the only ones here who feel out of place, Sparky. What's wrong with us?"

The Fire Lord glanced back at his young friend and sighed, "We're holding back."

Toph usually didn't do this, but she rested her head on Zuko's shoulder. She whispered, "Will you ever tell Katara how you feel about her?"

He tensed and the blind girl explained, "I know all things."

He let out an amused breath and replied, "I want to. But I don't know how to tell her without upsetting her brother and Aang."

Toph scoffed suddenly, wrapping an arm around his own. "You're afraid of Twinkle toes and Snoozles? Dude, are you serious?"

Zuko exhaled weakly, retorting, "What are you so afraid of? I can tell you like Shang. Just tell him!"

The blind girl felt a blush creeping over her cheeks and she ripped herself away from him. She looked away, saying, "You don't know that. Hell,_ I_ don't even know if I like him that way."

The Fire Lord shrugged, gently pressing his knuckles into her arm and simulating a gentler version of her own loving punches. "All I know is, you have to make your feelings known. Katara and I have been through so much together. We tracked down her mother's killer; we saved each other's lives a couple of times, too. With every moment, I could feel the attraction between us growing. After she confronted Yon Rha, I felt my entire world nearly shatter. Did you know she could blood bend? I've never seen her so powerful and graceful and passionate all at once. Honestly, I was a little stiff for her."

At this Toph only slightly grimaced, Zuko telling her that he was a horn dog for Katara? _Uh, too much info_. However, she esteemed that he could be so real with her. Zuko accepted her silence and continued,

"I wanted to tell her that I liked her, but then she forgave me for what happened in Ba Sing Se and then she hugged me. She walked away, we stayed friends and I thought I could hold on to that….but it really isn't enough."

Toph blinked back a few tears of her own and could feel the heartbeat of a certain water bender standing off to the side. Katara's heartbeat was extremely loud and hard pumping. She could feel the breathing patterns of her too. The blind girl deduced that Katara heard Zuko's confession and was trying her best not to burst into tears.

Toph settled a hand on Zuko's shoulder and patted it. "You won't be disappointed, Zuko. I promise you."

* * *

_**This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, but it is still long compared to most of my other fics' chapters. For any of you who read this, I have a new question: Who is your favorite Avatar/Korra villain?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Hi! So, guess what? More spoilers for you today! So, after finishing the Promise Trilogy, I was shocked. Things didn't go the way I expected, not completely, at least.**

**-Zuko has chronic insomnia and there's a slight Suki/Zuko moment that happens right before Mai dumps Zuko. Mai hires the Kyoshi warriors to protect Zuko from assassins and Suki finds him moping. She holds his hand and says, "I'm _worried_ about you." Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with the breakup.**

**-Zuko turns to his father, still in prison, for help on how to run the nation. Ozai, in his assholery, continues to mess with his son's head.**

**-Zuko is forced to free Azula from the mental institution to help him find Ursa.**

**- King Kuei and Zuko almost start a war over the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. But they end up uniting these colonies and that paves the way for forming Republic City.**

**And that is enough ranting. There will be some implied Tokka in here, and we finally get to see Uncle. It's currently 10:42 pm and I should be eating/asleep. Yes, this is what college life is like. I still wonder what it's like to have friends.**

* * *

"Toph? Honey, Suki and I are going down for breakfast. Are you coming?"

The blind girl growled in response, burying her head further into the pillow. Was it necessary to be woken up at dawn all the time? Toph did not like waking up so early in the morning. What was it with the Fire Nation and their innate ability to 'rise with the sun'? She yawned in her sleep deprived state and curled into the red, silken covers. _Screw the sun_, she thought.

Another knock and Sugar Queen's voice rang in her ears. "Toph? Are you alive in there?"

Defeated, Toph compelled her body to leave the plush bed. She shouted in the direction of the door, "Cork it, Sweetness! I'm fine, just give me five minutes!"

She could hear a sigh of relief and some mumbling between Katara and Suki before Katara called again, "Alright Toph, but if you take any longer, we'll go down without you."

Toph grunted in response, "Do that and I'll crush you from this very spot."

She was actually joking, but from the sounds of their heartbeats, Katara and Suki would not be going anywhere without her. _Cool_, she thought.

About nine and a half minutes later, Toph swung open the door to find the girls standing there. Katara said in annoyance, "C'mon, let's get moving. I don't want them to finish breakfast without us."

As they started walking down the hall, Toph said with amusement, "You mean you don't want _Zuko_ to _finish _without you."

Katara's skin prickled with goose bumps. She shoved Toph and growled, "Shh! You want one of the servants to hear?"

The blind girl nearly tripped on the hem of her dress- courtesy of the Fire Nation-but she joked, "Admit it, Sugar Queen; you want to _be_ Sparky's breakfast!"

The water bender gasped, a furious blush forming on her cheeks. "Toph!" She nearly shouted.

Toph chortled, "You want him to take you right there on the table, don't you?"

Katara retorted, "No! You're so crude, Toph!"

Toph singsonged, "I can tell you're lying!"

Suki laughed slightly at the sight of the two girls bickering. "You know, with you two arguing like that, the whole palace is going to find out." She reprimanded gently.

Toph snickered, saying, "That's the ultimate goal."

Katara's hands balled into fists and she fumed in silence for the remainder of their walk.

They finally found their way to the dining hall. Toph could count two bodies in there already, not counting Momo.

When the Fire Lord noticed them coming, he put down his utensils and stood up, respectfully greeting the girls. "Good morning, ladies. Did you sleep well?"

Katara and Suki smiled and answered, "Yes!"

Toph snorted and thrust her thumb in Katara's direction. "How could I sleep when all I could hear was Sweetness moaning passionately from the other room?" She said, not even bothering to wipe the grin off of her face.

She could hear Katara's heart rate increase tremendously and a blush was most definitely coloring her face. Katara blubbered out a confused, "Huh?"

In fact, everyone in the room was shocked and puzzled. Toph crossed the floor to an open seat and planted herself next to Zuko. "Katara has erotic dreams in the nighttime. Oh, pass the papaya please." She spoke nonchalantly.

Katara's heart would rip itself out of her chest at this rate. Toph could tell Zuko was blushing, probably even a little aroused now. His breathing was low and ragged. On the other hand, Aang's heartbeat was calm and tranquil. _Either he doesn't care, or he knows already, _Toph wondered. She would have to remember to ask him.

The water bender sputtered, "Toph, you're such a….GAH! You're so obnoxious!"

Toph leaned back in her chair and let out a snarky laugh. "You're the obnoxious one. Do you know how loud you are? '_Oh, spirits, baby you're a _god_ at this!_'" She fervently mimicked her friend's cries from last night, and then she burst into another bout of laughter.

Katara bit down on her tongue from saying anything more. She quietly went to the chair across from Aang and began piling food onto her plate. Zuko cleared his throat as if to try to clear the tension from the room. He looked around, wondering aloud, "Where's Sokka?"

Suki replied, "Oh, he's still sleeping. He said he wanted to have energy for today."

Toph pronounced, "It's a good thing he's not here to find out his baby sister isn't as innocent as he thinks she is."

Zuko ignored her and rejoined, "Yes, we are doing a lot today. There's Ember Island, the Shen-Yun performance later on, and tea time with Uncle, too."

And Toph added, "Then we finish it off with the banquet tomorrow and the fireworks."

Zuko said, "I can't wait to see Uncle."

Katara wiped her napkin over her lips and said, "It was a shame he couldn't be at the banquet last year. He said something about insurance problems with the shop?"

Toph took a messy bite from her papaya and didn't even bother to wipe the juice dribbling down from her lip. "I missed him." She said quietly. "He gives the best advice."

Aang said, "I'll have to ask him about that awesome tapioca tea recipe." He glanced at Zuko with a smile and commented, "I can't believe we said no to it before. Iroh's a mad genius!"

"Ew," the earth bender stated, "tapioca and tea? I like Iroh as much as the next guy, 'cause let's face it, the man is totally badass, but that's gross! Pudding and beverages do not go together!"

Katara shrugged, "I don't know, I'd try it."

Zuko snuck a peek at her and smiled. Toph reached over his plate to grab a roll and she murmured, "I saw that!"

The Fire Lord tensed, but quickly recovered, retorting, "You can't see."

Toph shrugged, sinking her teeth into the bread, "I still see better than you do." She uttered.

Aang abruptly stood up and declared, "I have a few things to pack for Ember Island. I'll see you guys later."

Katara stood almost immediately, her chair screeching as it was shoved backwards. She stated, "I'll go with you."

Toph could feel her heartbeat, strong but scared. Katara spoke with conviction but her body _screamed_ "No". Zuko's heart beat was fast but now he sounded angry; his breath was shallow and forced. The blind girl felt storm clouds forming. Something momentous was going to erupt between the two. And Zuko would probably be smack dab in the middle.

_No, Aang, reject her_, Toph thought, _for the love of Koh; don't go with him, Katara!_

Aang only nodded, keeping an impassive face in front of the water bender. Toph smacked a calloused hand over her forehead as Katara followed him into the hallway. _If something happens between them, everything will be ruined!_ She thought sadly. Why couldn't Katara just live and let die? Aang said he was over her; there was no reason to talk anymore. Sometimes the water bender cared too much. Toph remembered how apologetic she was to all the boys that hit on her years ago. Everyone from Haru to a kid in the street named Po got a stern but awfully gooey speech from Katara about how she was sure they would meet the right lady and that she cared for them as brothers.

Katara thought she was doing the right thing, but Toph could feel with her toes that it only made the men feel pitiful. And here she was going to do it to the Avatar. _All kinds of hell are going to break loose_, Toph reckoned.

* * *

"There it is!" Katara shouted from the mast of the ship. As the metal vessel steered closer to Ember Island, the passengers hurried to the edge of the ship and looked out.

To any visiting tourist, Ember Island absolutely screeched paradise. The sandy beach stretched along the shore line for miles, the palm trees littered the island and swung with the wind willingly, and the weather was absolutely phenomenal.

To Zuko, it was just a giant sandbox. Zuko had been there plenty of times. Many times, his parents took him and Azula as a family vacation-that is, until Mom left and he was banished. Then he came back with his ex-girlfriend Mai, Azula and that bimbo Ty Lee. It was fine for a while; they got to crash a party and mess up some pompous douche bag's house. But then came the numerous visits after the war; for Agni's sake, did the Fire Nation have any other vacation spot? The Fire Lord memorized nearly every square inch of that island and even found secret passageways that led to a volcanic spring. He intended to take Katara there one day.

He glanced at her, seeing the sun shine brightly on her bronze-colored skin, and thought, _One day soon._

* * *

He looked up in the sky and saw a humongous shape that resembled a cloud soaring through the sky. It was Appa; for some reason, Aang claimed that he'd rather ride alone to the island. Zuko knew it had something to do with his and Katara's talk earlier that day, and he intended to ask Toph. As the blind earth bender declared: she knew all things.

Toph was manipulating a few piles of sand to her bidding while her friends were out having fun in the water. Sweat formed on Toph's upper lip and brow; sand was a very hard thing to bend. Unlike sturdy rock, sand was loose and moved on whim. If Toph held a sheet of steel in her hand and opened her palm, the steel would sit comfortably, unmoving. However, if she were to scoop up a handful of sand, the sand would trickle out of her fingers when she opened them.

To bend the sand, she had to command every singular grain of it and coerce it along with a full number of others to move all at once. It was like a little army of sand grains. Anyone might think, _that sounds tough_. But all Toph had to do was splash some water on the sand, wait for it to clump together like rocks, and then she could move it much more easily. Some called it cheating, Toph called it creative bending.

Speaking of water, she felt a cold splash run down her spine, sending her flying into the sand castle she was making.

A symphony of laughter erupted behind her as she heaved herself out of the ground. She spit out a mouthful of sand and nearly gagged at the prickly, sandpapery feeling of wet sand on her chest and stomach. She glared behind her. She wished she could see then; since they were all in the water, she couldn't tell who was who and where the water came from.

"Who the hell did that?!" She shouted. She arose from her place and walked towards the shore but froze in her place when her toe felt the small, gentle waves approaching.

Katara's voice sounded, "Oh, calm down, Toph. It was just a joke!"

Toph opened her mouth to reply something quite rude, when a slightly larger wave crashed against her shins and knocked her over. Again, she went face first into the ground. The blind girl shrieked and crawled away, gripping the sand for dear life.

Sokka's voice approached her, and suddenly she could feel his footsteps nearing. "Toph," he called, "are you OK?"

She felt his hands on her shoulders and she shuddered. "No! I can't swim. I _hate_ the water." She growled.

The memories of edging across the slippery ice bridge in the Serpent's Pass still hadn't left her. She could still feel the ice shattering beneath her as the monster broke through it, leaving her to fall in the water and nearly drown. Sokka couldn't get there in time. She could still feel the salt water shooting into her nose when memory warranted.

The young man chuckled lightly and pulled her up by the arm. "Why don't I teach you how to swim?" As he tugged her forward, Toph yanked herself free. She said angrily, "Are you dumb, Snoozles? I can't see! I'm going to drown in there!"

Sokka snorted and grabbed her elbow again. He said, "Not with me you aren't." Ignoring the various cuss words Toph shouted at him, he led her in. She bit down on her lip as she crossed into the water. There was no authority in the water, no solid mass, everything moved on a whim. Now wading waist deep, Toph gasped and clung to Sokka's bare abdomen.

The Water Tribe man laughed again and teased, "The almighty Toph Beifong has been rendered helpless by sea water!"

Toph punched his muscular pectorals once, twice, before sighing. She couldn't _do_ this. She looked up and felt for his face. She ran her trembling fingers over his angular jaw and smiling mouth, over his eyes and forehead and his ears. She rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. She whispered, "Sokka, I'm scared."

Sokka settled an arm behind her knees and scooped her up in one fluid motion. This elicited a small shriek from the blind girl. _Where'd the ground go?! _She thought. She wrapped her arms around her friend's neck and clenched her eyes shut. "Sokka! What's going on?" She asked, voice trembling.

The man loosened his grip around her legs and let them float in the water. One arm remained curled around her shoulders, but besides that Toph was suspended on her own. This seriously frightened Toph. She flailed her arms about, splashing water in Sokka's face. "What the hell, Sokka, what is this!?"

The Water Tribe man responded with laughter in his voice, "Toph, you're floating. I'm helping you out, but soon, you'll be able to do it on your own."

Toph's nails dug into his arms and she asked, "I'm really floating? It's just water underneath me?"

Sokka nodded and said, "Yep, and if you lie down and don't move, you can float on your back."

Toph's grip tightened. "No way." She muttered.

Her counterpart merely shrugged and said, "Fine." And then he let go of her. Suddenly, the warmth of his body was gone and Toph felt the water rising to her chin as she sank downwards. She screamed, "NO! NO!"

Sokka chuckled again and lifted her up, apologizing. He told her to relax her limbs and trust him. She lay her head back and felt the water rise to her ears. A tear fell from one eye as she felt his hands slowly leaving her body. It was just her in the water now.

"You're doing great, Toph." She could hear him say.

Despite his praises, Toph was absolutely petrified. She was used to hard, solid ground underneath her. This felt like flying on Appa; she didn't know where to sit or how, she was just suspended in the air and only a thick layer of fat and fur kept her from plummeting to her death.

The water seemed unresponsive. It was wet, sure. But Toph couldn't tell if it was really holding her. Unlike her native element, water was super flimsy and easily breakable. But even with her body wading, there was no danger. Why wasn't she sinking?

Suddenly, the feelings of anxiety melted into ecstasy. She was floating! On a layer of water, no less! Toph felt a grin form on her face and she whispered, "Sokka?"

His voice reassured her, "I'm here."

Toph slowly, very slowly, lifted a hand and said, "I want to go back to shore."

The man's laughter sent a chill through Toph's body, the reverberations shaking the water under her.

"OK, Toph." Suddenly, she felt the warmth of his hands on her back and she was in his arms again. He carried her bridal style out of the water and settled her down on nice patch of dry sand.

Then, she could feel his footsteps marching away, and she heard Suki's voice. Toph sighed, pulling her knees up to her chin. No matter how close she got with a man, something always blocked the chances of romance.

It wasn't that she loved Sokka in _that_ way. She remembered, upon first meeting him four years ago, how she developed a childish crush on him. Soon, the crush developed into true romantic feelings, but then he announced his relationship with Suki and Toph forced her feelings to dissolve. Sokka turned into a big brother, a best friend, and the comedic relief for her. She envied Suki for many reasons, the primary one being that she had such a good man in her grasp.

She heard a few splashes of water and suddenly, everyone was on the sand now. Zuko asked, "Where's Aang?"

Suki replied, "I think he said something about finding a snack."

Zuko rejoined, "There's enough food here!"

Katara murmured half-teasingly, "Fire flakes and ash bananas don't make the best snacks when they're all you eat."

Zuko narrowed his unscarred eye at her and smirked. Katara smiled back. Toph sighed loudly and fell back into the sand, thinking, _Can they just _do_ it already?_ _They just sit there and flirt in Aang's absence!_

As soon as his name was mentioned, a gust of wind flew over them and Toph felt Aang's light feet press onto the ground.

"Guess what I got?" He asked, his excitement high. He opened the leather skin attached to his glider and pulled out small, brownish-green leaves.

Sokka nearly cried, "Cocoa leaves!" He ran over to the Avatar and plucked one leaf from his palm and into his mouth. His eyes rolled backwards and he moaned as he savored the sweetness of the cocoa. Momo sat atop of his head and snatched one right out of his hand. He gurgled in content as he chewed.

Zuko said, "Uncle could brew us some tea with those."

Aang asked, "When will Iroh be here?"

"I've _been_ here!" A voice called from behind them.

Spinning around, even Toph knew who it was. There Iroh stood: stout figure shrouded in a green robe, a guitar strapped to his back, wide-brimmed hat in one hand and bulky tea kettle in the other. He was ready for a party.

"Uncle!" Zuko shouted.

"Nephew!" Iroh shouted with the same exuberance. He waddled over to the younger man and took him in his arms. Everyone else watched as the two embraced warmly and then approached Iroh as well.

After Iroh let go of his nephew, he smiled widely at Katara. "Hello, Master Katara." He greeted as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hi, Uncle Iroh. It is too good to see you." He modestly accepted her embrace, keeping a distance between their midsections.

He whispered into her ear, so nobody else could hear, "I hope you've kept a good eye on my nephew."

The water bender pulled away, a bit nonplused. _What did he mean?_ Suddenly, she felt a sharp little elbow stab her side and she almost fell to the ground. "Move it, Sweetness. It's my turn." Toph declared.

_Of course,_ Katara thought, watching Iroh and Toph greet each other. "Hey, Uncle!" The blind girl cried, throwing her arms out and letting him curl his arms around her shoulders. "Hello, little one!" He chuckled.

Toph hugged him tightly, smiling. Only Iroh was allowed to call her 'little'. Funny, he was the only one allowed to treat her like a younger child, like a daughter. When Katara was motherly to Toph, per usual, the two would end up in a hissy fit. The moment Toph and Iroh met, he was willing to serve her tea and give her some amazing pieces of advice, even though she had knocked him down minutes earlier. Since the blind girl had never connected with her biological parents, she was forced to fend for herself and guard her emotions like a treasure. Having Iroh, whom everyone lovingly labeled "Uncle", meant she could be somebody's child. She had a paternal figure to look up to.

When she pulled away, Iroh's raspy voice said, "You've grown beautifully, Toph. It warms my heart to see you."

Toph replied, "I wish I could say the same." Iroh chuckled softly and squeezed her hand. Then he greeted everyone else and bowed to Aang.

"I am very sorry that I could not join you for last year's celebrations. I will make up for my absence with some tea, Pai Sho, and a good story." He said, wrinkles around his eyes turning up. The smile never left his face.

Normally, teenagers would groan in annoyance at the prospect. Sitting with an old patriarch, listening to him tell battle stories and playing an elder's game sounded like boredom city- but not with Iroh. Team Avatar loved their Uncle and his total majesty. The man was nearing 70 years of age but still retained his buoyancy and good-natured humor.

* * *

Soon, the gang and Iroh were in the beach house, sitting around the Pai Sho table, watching Iroh and Aang play. It was an evenly matched game; Iroh knew war strategy and Aang had nearly 116 years of experience. Both applied in this game, the win could go either way. The rest of the group, minus Toph, watched with intent.

Then the Avatar tipped his own tile against the board and stared at it, not willing to let go. Iroh kept a calloused hand pressed against his beard, stroking it, thinking.

"You know, it's not such a bad move. But if you leave it there, I can kick your lily tile into oblivion." He commented.

Aang raised an eyebrow at him and then smirked, thinking of a trick he came across some 114 years ago. He hid a hand behind his back and summoned a small whirlwind that travelled above him, into the air and over to Iroh, where it flapped his beard into his face. In the confusion that followed, Aang reached over the board and hastily switched his lily tile with Iroh's lotus tile. Iroh pushed his beard back into its place, and glanced down at the board. A broad grin formed on his face and he chuckled, the sound echoing against the walls.

"Very clever, young Avatar! But not clever enough!" He spoke, depressing his tile into Aang's spot. Then he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, "Very good game." He said.

Aang smiled in humble defeat, shrugging. "Absolutely. You're still the best, Uncle Iroh."

The elder's cheeks turned pink and he replied shyly, "Oh, that's very sweet."

Toph, lying on a mat in the corner with her hands cupping her head, asked, "Hey, guys, what time is it?"

They all looked up at the window at the same time. Zuko's eyebrows shot up and he nearly exclaimed, "It's sunset! We're going to miss the Shen Yun!"

Toph could feel a heap of feet and scrambling around. She smirked to herself, saying, "Well, I'm ready. Wake me up when you guys are." She promptly closed her eyes and rolled onto her side, fully intending to fall asleep.

She felt Katara march up to her and say, "Toph, you're still in your beach clothes. You have to change, too."

Toph shook her head, "No." She said, "I don't even need to go. I can't see the performances."

Sokka piped in, "Toph, you came with us to the Ember Island Players production, and you were the only one who liked it."

The blind girl retorted, "Because it amplified my awesomeness and made you guys out to be total wimps- which isn't totally far from the truth."

"Young lady," Katara growled, nudging Toph's side with her toe, "C'mon, go put on your dress."

The blind girl groaned loudly. "You're suffocating me, MOM!" She shouted at Katara, before dragging herself up to her room. Watching Toph leave, Katara left out an angry huff and growled, "I'm not your mother!"

She heard Toph shout back something she would never, ever repeat. She was about to storm after her and scold her when she heard a gruff chuckle. She spun around to find Zuko there, dressed in his royal maroon robes and flame-shaped crown.

She nearly gasped, "Oh, were you there the whole time?"

Zuko was fumbling with the front of his robes, trying to tie it correctly. He answered, "For most of the argument, yeah. That Toph…" Though he was struggling, he let out a loose laugh.

Katara couldn't stand to see him fumble with the cloth any longer and strode over to him, saying, "Here, let me do it."

Zuko looked down at her hands-her slender, lovely hands- and watched as she tied it together skillfully. Her hands gently brushed the area just above his nether regions, which caused Zuko's breath to hitch. A knot formed in his stomach and he closed his eyes, longing for the sensation to come back.

Katara stepped away and smiled proudly at her work. "There." She said. Her eyes roamed his body, his tall and muscular form. Thrust onto the throne at seventeen, after years of banishment, Zuko used to be skinnier and leaner. Not to say that he wasn't sexy then, but Katara hadn't even realized how much Zuko grew into his Fire Lord attire, how much those perfect biceps filled out, how manly he'd become. She felt the words spill out of her mouth before she could stop herself,

"You look great." She blurted.

At the sight of his unscarred eye widening, she blushed and spun around, away from him. Her heart pounded in her chest as she muttered, "I'm going to get dressed."

Zuko watched her dart out of the room and smiled. _This might just work out_, he thought.

He noticed Toph walking down the stairs, bunching much of her silk dress in her hands. Her black hair was still puffed up, but her trademark bangs were pulled back and her green headband was replaced with a red one. Her dress resembled the one Katara had worn in the Jasmine Dragon years ago, only it was black. She walked up to Zuko and stared at him sightlessly.

"You look ridiculous." She said to him.

He let out an unceremonious chuckle, and only laughed harder when her blank expression didn't change. When he was able to calm down, he wiped away a stray tear from his cheek and said, "Man, I love you, Toph."

The blind girl crossed her robed arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. "What is _wrong_ with you, Sparky?"

Zuko cleared his throat and tried to hide his smile, even though she couldn't see it. "Sorry, Toph. I just needed a good laugh is all."

Toph shrugged and smoothed her dress down. "It's because of Katara, right? Why are you so choked up all the time? I told you, Zuko, just admit your feelings to her. Y'know, she likes you too." She said.

Zuko's heartbeat began to pound uproariously. "I….had my suspicions," he said quietly, "but I wasn't completely sure."

Toph heard a smile breaking through the last word. She smirked and replied, "You're welcome."

Suddenly, Sokka burst through the door. "They're selling komodo-chicken wings at the place, hurry up! I don't want to miss them!"

He grabbed Zuko by the arm, "C'mon, Jerk Lord, they'll hand over the chicken for free if you're with me."

"What?" The Fire Lord asked as Sokka tugged him outside.

Toph shouted, "Wait for me!" And she sprinted after them.

* * *

"Well, that sucked." Toph grunted as they stepped out of the opera house into the warm night air.

"It wasn't all bad," Katara piped in, "the story line was nice."

The rest of the gang piled out after them. Toph snapped, "They incorporated another love story. How many times am I going to hear about Oma and Shu before I throw myself off of a cliff?"

Iroh replied, leading them towards the main road where Appa awaited, "Little one, Shen Yun is a combination of several stories, be they fiction or reality. Oma and Shu's story is quite famous and highly requested. Each performer brings their unique flair to the performance. I am sure if you could have watched the performance you would have picked it up better."

Toph nodded in respect. Behind her, Sokka leaned towards Suki and whispered, "If I said that to her, I'd have a boulder in my throat right now."

Suddenly, the ground under Sokka's feet shifted and he stumbled, but was able to recompose himself. "Hey!" He shouted at Toph.

He only got a giggle from her in response.

As they neared Appa, Zuko turned to Aang and said, "Listen, can I talk to you privately?"

The younger one nodded, "Sure, Sifu Hotman." He grinned.

Zuko slammed his palm against his forehead, "I wish you'd stop calling me that."

The Avatar stopped walking and smiled again, "Sorry."

Zuko turned to the rest of the gang who'd already boarded Appa. "We'll take the long walk to the house. You guys go ahead."

Everyone wore a confused face. Sokka, holding the bison's reins, nodded. "Alright, be quick. We leave for the capital soon. See you." He said.

Aang waved goodbye as they soared away and then he turned to his friend. "So," he started walking, "What's up?"

Zuko sighed as he pulled the crown out of his hair, allowing it to dangle over his forehead. "Look, Aang. You're my best friend, and you've helped me accomplish a lot in my life. I don't want to upset you or anything. And…I don't want you to think that I'm betraying your trust."

The Avatar raised an eyebrow, asking, "What are you getting at, Zuko?"

The older male sighed again. _Agni, why aren't I good at talking?_ He wondered before blurting, "I like Katara. A lot." _Oh _thanks_, Agni. _

He expected Aang to freak out. He expected him to enter the Avatar state and annihilate him. He expected some kind of reaction, but he didn't get anything. Aang just stood there with a blank expression, his grey eyes staring into space.

"Uh, Aang?" Zuko prodded, "Isn't this the part where you kill me?"

The Avatar blinked a couple of times before his eyes settled on Zuko's face. To the Fire Lord's surprise, Aang's lips turned up into an apologetic smile.

"I won't kill you, Zuko. I wouldn't do that." He replied.

A part of Zuko relaxed- ok, so he didn't incur the wrath of the Avatar. _Good,_ he thought.

Aang continued, "After Katara and I broke up, I dreaded the day she'd show up with a new boyfriend. I got upset wondering who it might be. But then you crossed my mind and it all made sense."

Zuko asked, "What do you mean?"

"The tension," Aang explained, "Katara wouldn't let it go. When you started teaching me fire bending, she was so opposed to you."

Zuko shrugged, "She hated me because of what happened in Ba Sing Se." He said sadly.

Aang stopped and sat cross legged on the ground. Zuko followed suit, pulling up his robes.

Aang said, "It wasn't just that you betrayed us. Katara takes things very personally. It reminded me of our friend Jet. When we first met him, he was part of this vigilante group. He was a thug, but Katara refused to believe it…I mean, neither did I but…Katara had already developed feelings for him. When she found out what he was, she was so angry. She refused to forgive him even when he found us in Ba Sing Se and offered to help us find Appa. I think what happened between you two was just a replay of her and Jet in her eyes."

Zuko sneered at the prospect of some thug groping Katara. "Where is thisJet?" He asked.

Aang looked at the ground and sighed, "He's dead. Katara was _wrecked_; she was just starting to trust him again."

The older male suddenly felt guilty. "I'm sorry." He said begrudgingly.

The Avatar settled his elbows on his knees, "It's alright. Anyways, the thing is, Katara had a big crush on Jet, so his actions were much more personal. I think she likes you, too. That's probably why she was acting so angry, she didn't want anyone else to believe that she fell for you and got her heart broken. You know how she is, she has her pride."

Zuko asked, "Did she tell you any of this?"

Aang stood up and held out a hand to his friend. "Some of it, yes." Zuko took his hand and stood.

"I give you my blessing, Zuko." He said, bowing to him. "Be good to her."

The Fire Lord smiled broadly and bowed back, "Thank you, Avatar Aang."

* * *

**_You little screwballs kept asking when the next chapter was going to be up, well ^^. And please, don't ask me when installment 4 will be. I can't have a schedule for my stories. I write on impulse. But don't worry; I won't make you wait more than a month. Here's a hint to keep you on the edge of your seats. Next chapter: Toph gets intimate._**

**_Enjoy the fantasies that come with that statement._**

**_Oh, and I asked you guys some questions in my author's notes before, no? Here are my own answers:_**

**_-Favorite character in ATLA: Uncle/General Iroh the Grand Lotus of badassery, Zuko and Toph._**

**_-Favorite character in LoK: Tenzin_**

**_-Favorite villain in ATLA: Azula…. I wrote a fic about her called "Shatter", go read it. NOW!_**

**_-Favorite villain in LoK: Noatak/Amon. There really is no other villain in the season, but he was an honorable villain anyways. Too bad he blew up. _**


	4. Chapter 4

**Happy (Insert day here), everyone! So, this is chapter 4 and I'm super excited for it because we get to witness the banquet, and the strange events that unravel as it begins. Guess what? Toph does something she never thought she'd do. And it's going to cause a few people a great amount of anguish, while others pleasure. **

**Oh, can I add some things regarding my last author's note? I have a new name to tag on my favorite ATLA character list: Sokka. He's absolutely hilarious and adorable. No one ever looked so badass carrying a boomerang or saying "yip yip", but Sokka can pull off anything. And he makes a great husband and father too: 'Wang Fire' anyone?**

**-Gets a rotten tomato to the face-**

**Also, please stop asking me how long this story will be; I don't know. Long enough, I suppose…but there is no concrete number. **

**Everyone asked me if there was going to be Taang. Can I just say right now that I really don't like Taang? Sokka and Aang are like brothers to Toph and it's just weird, you know? I totally understand the argument Taang-supporters use, 'Aang and Toph are natural opposites, air and earth, passive and aggressive…etc.' I totally get it. Same with Zuko and Katara, this is the pairing that I LOVE, as you can see…however, Taang just looks so strange to me. Technically, Aang and Toph were 12 when they met, they grew up together. It's so….nfjnfdgfxawbgh I don't know.**

**I'm going to sound like a hypocrite by the time this chapter is finished, and you'll see why soon enough. Without further ado, enter new chapter.**

Today was the banquet.

Today was _the_ banquet. Toph couldn't really comprehend said fact. She was indifferent to everyone's excited chatter at breakfast, she ignored the servants and sages running around making last minute changes, but most of all, she had no idea how truly thrilled she was for it.

An hour before the banquet, while she sat in her room amidst servants trying to dress her, it finally hit her. It was like a bone-chilling splash of water, a cold wind smacking her in the cheek. One servant, a girl named Yoko, was the unfortunate soul to be standing beside Toph when the realization struck her. The blind girl thrust her arms into the air, knocking Yoko to the ground. Toph nearly screeched, "Today is the banquet! I can't believe how freaking excited I am!"

Then she gazed in Yoko's direction and said nonchalantly, "Sorry that I knocked you down."

The servant perkily replied, "It's alright, Miss Beifong. I'm honored to serve as your valet."

Toph rolled her eyes and groaned, "What is it with the Fire Nation? Is honor all you talk about?"

Another servant, Ara, spoke up, "But Miss Beifong, honor is rather important in our culture. Maybe you don't understand because you're from the Earth Kingdom."

Toph narrowed her eyes and without looking at Ara, thrust a finger into her cheek. "And what exactly is _wrong_ with the Earth Kingdom? We _do_ have honor, we just don't act like wimps about it."

Then she jerked herself away from them and felt over her midsection, trailing her fingers over the silk fabric. She felt for the satin shawl over her shoulders and grinned at the embroidery. Then her hands went up to her cheeks and she heard Yoko direct her,

"Miss Beifong, we did your makeup as well as we could. It's best you not touch it."

Toph nodded in accord. She ran her fingers through her hair. Yoko had braided it and wrapped it around the crown of her head, making it a black halo around her face. Her fingers stroked the cold metal of the tiara they placed there.

She asked, "What color is my dress?"

Ara replied, "Black, Miss Beifong."

Toph nodded. "The only color I know." She said, closing her eyes.

The servants all exchanged glances, not knowing whether to laugh or speak or just stay silent.

Toph turned to Yoko and blinked her glistening eyes at her. "Can you go tell Katara that I'm ready?"

The servant bowed, muttering, "Yes, Miss Beifong, of course."

Toph felt her footsteps hastily leave the room. She cleared her throat and commanded the other women to leave as well. When all their footsteps were gone, when Toph could only hear her heartbeat in the room, she settled against the foot of her bed and sighed.

Here she was, Toph Beifong, in a dress and tiara. Her face was painted with makeup, her hair was styled, and her shoes were pointy and uncomfortable, even with her soles sticking out of the bottom. Here she was, dateless, for the ball. She was apprehending the return of Yao, the sweet, clueless body guard of Kuei, she was nervous about talking to Shang. She didn't really know what she was going to tell him. _Hey, I think I like you? My friends think I should pursue you? I'm confused and I think you should be my boyfriend?_ She shook her head, snorting with laughter. She sounded desperate and stupid.

Toph's ears perked at the sound of two small feet approaching her door. "Katara?" She asked.

A voice responded, "Yes, Toph? I'm here."

The blind girl stood and shrugged, "I'm ready." She raised her arms up and to the side, letting the shawl reach its full length. She heard Katara's breath hitch,

"Toph! You look wonderful!"

"Thanks, I'd say the same to you." Toph assured, smiling now. Katara chuckled and reached for her best friend's hand, tugging her outside.

Toph followed her down a flight of stairs and into a large room. She could hear three heartbeats now: hers, Katara's and one she recognized as Zuko's. There, Katara let go of her and said, "I'll be back, I'm going back to get the others."

Toph nodded and waited for her to leave. Zuko started to talk when she raised a palm over his mouth.

"If you say I look pretty, I'll crush you." She growled.

Zuko's tongue darted out of his mouth and he promptly licked her hand. She recoiled, shouting, "Sparky!"

The Fire Lord chuckled softly and he said, "I'm sorry, Toph. I was only going to say that I'm taking your advice."

The girl raised an eyebrow, asking, "You're going to stop wearing red?"

Zuko glared at her, "_No_, Toph. I meant I'm going to tell Katara how I feel."

The blind girl grinned and reached out to feel his arm. She grasped his bicep tightly and replied, "Good for you, Sparky. Are you going to take her to bed, too?"

His heartbeat was loud and fast now. She knew he was blushing.

"What? No, Toph! I can't do that…what?!" He sputtered, both in denial and embarrassment.

Toph giggled and squeezed his arm again. "Right, right," she agreed, "you better take it slow than hit her with too many bolts at once."

Zuko pondered over her advice and then nodded. "Thanks, Toph." He uttered.

She punched him, smiling. "No problem, Zuko. Just remember, Sweetness is a sucker for sob stories. Got any good ones?"

Suddenly, his heart rate dropped and his breathing pattern changed. He whispered painfully, "Many."

Toph felt her eyebrows rise and she let go of his arm. She remembered hearing people gossip about the large scar over his eye. No one knew where it came from, except Zuko. _Stupid big mouth_, she thought.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." She apologized solemnly.

Zuko's heartbeat returned to normal and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's nothing, Toph. Don't worry about it. Oh, and I wanted to ask you something."

The blind girl raised an eyebrow and he took it as a sign to continue; He asked, "What do you know about Katara going after Aang the other day?"

Toph smirked, just slightly. She teased, "I knew that bothered you."

The Fire Lord sighed, "_Toph."_

"Ok, ok, Sparky," Toph said, "Don't get your robes all twisted in a stupid bunch. And no, I don't know anything about it. I haven't gotten around to asking."

Zuko's heartbeat actually heightened and his only eyebrow went up. "Well, Agni be damned, Toph Beifong is stumped about something!"

The blind girl snorted and crossed her arms over her chest, "Whatever, I'll get to the bottom of this sooner or later. Just you wait."

The Fire Lord nudged her with his elbow and whispered with a smirk, "Here's your chance."

A squall of wind abruptly smacked them both in their faces and Toph felt Aang's nearly weightless form approach.

"Hey, guys! The guests will be here, soon. You ready?" He asked.

Zuko replied, "Definitely, I'm really excited."

Toph chimed in, "Me too." And then she was ready to grab the Avatar by the arm and pull him aside when suddenly, Katara, Suki and Sokka entered the room.

They quickly swarmed around the three others and were caught up in excited conversation about the banquet. Even though she couldn't see, Toph turned her head in Zuko's general direction and offered an apologetic look.

Zuko noticed it and nodded in understanding.

* * *

Everything was in full swing at the palace. After the main, honored guests arrived: King Kuei, Chiefs Hakoda and Arnook, Ursa and Ikem, the Order of the White Lotus, and the rest of their friends. Toph loved the banquet. Always, always, she and the Duke would play pranks on unsuspecting party guests, especially poor Haru. Then she would make her rounds about the older guests, chatting it up with Hakoda and Tyro and the Mechanic. They appreciated her charming brusque ways.

And she had a secret thing for silver foxes.

Toph purposely ignored nearing Kuei because she knew that if she did, Yao would immediately start following her around. And she didn't want to pull a Sugar Queen and give him an awkward "I like you as a friend" talk.

So instead, she approached what she believed to be the snack table and started feeling for something to nibble on.

She was mildly surprised to feel a set of warm fingers curl around hers. "Here, let me get that for you." A smooth, familiar voice spoke.

_Shang!_ Her mind shouted. Toph felt him lean over her and fumble with something at the table. The warmth of his abdomen emanated into her back. Then he pulled back and handed her a hot cup of tea.

"There you go. I hope that's what you were getting." He said; there was laughter in his voice.

Toph wasn't very thirsty. "Yeah," she lied, "It was."

She felt his footsteps retreating and she grabbed his arm, asking, "So, when are you going to perform your dance?"

"Oh," Shang said, his heartbeat resonating with excitement, "Right before the fireworks. Lord Zuko wanted to end the party with a bang, and that's what we're going to do." His voice sounded devious near the end, and Toph couldn't help but feel like he was trying to imply something.

"Can't wait," she said with a smile, "so….listen, I wanted to talk to you."

He touched her arm and Toph let a demure smile form on her face. "Yeah, what's up?" He asked amicably.

Abruptly, the blind girl felt a pair of big feet approaching and she groaned, shutting her eyes. Shang raised an eyebrow, asking, "What's wrong Toph? Are you sick?" Immediately, he held her by both of her forearms.

"Hey!" A voice called from behind the pair.

Toph sharply inhaled. _Yao,_ she thought, _please go._

Shang cleared his throat, sounding somewhat annoyed, like Yao was interrupting something. Then the young man spoke again,

"Hey, you, get away from her! Do you know who this girl is?" Yao sounded angry, protective.

The blind girl clenched her eyes shut in embarrassment as Shang growled back,

"Yeah, I know who she is! Get lost, buddy."

Yao started to raise his voice when Toph lifted a finger to his lips, "No, Yao." She sighed, "Come with me."

She gripped the guard's shoulder and dragged him to an unoccupied space, quiet and private. A back room, she figured. Finally, when she was sure they were alone, she turned around and faced him.

She wished she could see his face, his expression.

"Yao," she chastised, "What was that?"

The guard didn't seem to heed her anger, instead chuckling softly, "Is that really how you say hello after a year of not seeing me?"

Toph crossed her arms over her chest, and huffed, "Yao, I'm _mad_ at you."

Immediately, Yao took it back, placing a hand on her elbow, "Toph, I'm sorry, I just thought you were being harassed by that boy, I didn't mean to intrude on anything."

Toph could feel the vibrations through her feet. Her eyes burned with the realization.

"You're lying." She whispered.

Yao pulled his hand back and his heart pounded furiously. He started stuttering, "Toph, look, I didn't want him touching you because….no, wait, I didn't think it was right for a woman of your stature and a punk like him…no, ok, let me start again-"

The blind girl's eyes closed and she felt her voice tremble as she spoke, "You have feelings for me, Yao. I know that. But…I just…don't know. I don't feel the same way; I don't even like Shang that much."

She heard Yao's breath hitch and felt his heartbeat go even faster. "I'm not interested in anyone right now." She continued.

Yao sighed and cleared his throat, asking, "Is it because I'm four years your senior?"

Toph felt something drip from her nose. As she wiped her sleeve over her face, she realized that she was crying. "No, I don't mind your age." She replied sadly. Her mind flashed to Sokka for a moment.

She was surprised to feel Yao's large hand touch her face. As a big, warm thumb grazed over her cheek, she realized that she was getting in too deep. She gasped and ripped herself from him. Her brash action elicited a pained whine,

"Toph, please!"

Toph shook her head and hurried out of the room, nearly stumbling over her dress. Without stopping to see if Yao was following her, she ran off and felt for any vibrations. Any familiar vibrations.

For some reason, she couldn't find Katara or Zuko. Her mind was clouded with all sorts of emotions; where were her friends?

Then, out of nowhere, Shang was behind her. "Hey, Toph, you get rid of the jerk?" He asked.

_How did he keep sneaking up on her like that?_ She spun around, nodding. "Yeah, he's gone. So listen…."

To her shock, Shang's feet started to shuffle and shift. Was he…was he _dancing?_

"Toph," he said, grabbing her arms, "I love this song. Come dance with me."

The blind girl felt herself being dragged across the floor. "But I can't dance!" She exclaimed, trying to free herself from his grasp. His surprisingly _strong_ grasp, Toph observed. Shang snorted, and shouted over the music, "If you can save the world, then you can dance."

He swept her into a waltz-like movement, his arms around her waist and chest against hers. Toph didn't know where to put her hands as he swayed her about, so she snaked them around his neck. Shang held her close, as his feet circled hers and twirled about.

Toph realized that she liked dancing. As a matter of fact, she loved it! Because the dance floor was made of stone, she could feel Shang's feet moving closer to hers, thereby allowing her to step back before their legs became a tangled mess. But as Shang's arms pulled her tightly against him, as her breasts ached from the hard pressing against his flat chest, and as his hot breath came increasingly close to her face, Toph realized that she didn't mind falling back into his arms. Not at all.

They danced like that for a long time, with Toph concentrating on his footsteps and his breathing. Because of her focus, she almost didn't realize that the two were now totally intertwined, and the only gap between them was between their lips. His forehead touched hers, and she felt his fingers curling into her hair, pushing their heads together.

Toph's eyes flew open as Shang's lips smashed against hers. It was a forced, gauche embrace, because Shang's lips were doing all the work as they nipped and tugged hers. He ran his fingers over the small of her back, and suddenly, his tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip.

When he pulled away, she felt her head spinning. That was absolutely _not _what she expected.

Toph noticed that all the music and clamor around them had stopped. Toph blushed when people started whooping and clapping and whistling. Someone yelled, "Kiss 'er again, bro!" Shang complied with the request, and he leaned in again.

His hands gripped her upper arms as he forcefully kissed her once again. This time, the kiss only lasted seconds. Toph shoved him away, picked up the skirt of her dress, and ran off. Her face burned with a humiliating blush.

She fled into a forgotten, dark room, hiding behind the curtains of its windows. She lifted her fingers up to her lips and gingerly felt for any tender spots. She feared that the powerful effect of Shang's teeth would lead to bruising.

The blind girl was utterly shaken by his display. She did not expect the kisses, and she realized that in fact, she didn't welcome them! How dare he just take advantage of her like that? All she wanted was to talk to him and he waltzed her into a stupor and then started sucking on her face…

Her eyes stung with tears and Toph furrowed her eyebrows together. No matter how badly she'd wanted to initiate a relationship with him, he was not allowed to just stick his tongue any place he liked. She recalled the sounds the crowd was making, hooting and whistling while Shang _got some action_. He'd embarrassed her, deeply.

Toph was angry. Very angry.

Then the thought of Yao slammed into her mind. What if Yao saw that? She couldn't help but grit her teeth in anguish. She'd just told him she wasn't seeing anyone and then Shang just…claimed her in front of all the guests.

_Yao must think I'm a slut, _she imagined.

She blinked her tears back and resolved to teach that douche bag a lesson. As she stepped out from behind the curtain, she could feel footsteps approaching. Two sets of hasty, clumsy feet entered the room and Toph was forced to hide away in the curtains a while longer.

She heard the sound of frantic sighs and whimpers and bumping into the walls, and suddenly-

"_Unh_, _Zuko…_" A female voice breathed.

Toph's angry eyes turned into shocked ones. Could that be Katara?

There was some extremely ungraceful, uncoordinated footwork, and someone was pushed against a wall. Toph's query was confirmed when she heard Zuko grunt, _"Katara…"_ There were more shuffling, more wet kissing noises and other primal sounds.

The blind girl felt herself smirk, thinking, _Way to go, Sparky! Finally!_

She heard a sharp intake of breath from Zuko's part and then several consistent thuds against the wall, coupled with Katara's frantic moans.

Toph felt another blush staining her face. She truly was happy for the couple, and she planned on sweetly teasing them for their expeditions later, but right now, she wanted to get out of that room. She could feel their pounding heartbeats, the loud vibrations coming from the wall Zuko was ramming Katara into, and their sensual, _loud_ moans were going to get the three of them discovered.

But soon, after Toph stuck her fingers in her ears and cursed the two lovers a million times over, Zuko pulled away from Katara. The two panted heavily as they righted their clothing and awkwardly tried to smooth over the situation.

"What if someone asks?" The water bender wondered.

Zuko responded harshly, "Just say you went to the bathroom!"

_Sheesh,_ Toph thought, _was Sparky always tense after an orgasm?_

Then there was a silence as Katara's feet crossed the room and then Zuko asked, "We'll talk about this later, right?"

The young woman turned around and said with a great amount of uncertainty, "Of course."

Then Zuko and Toph were left in the room, earth bender still in her hiding place. The Fire Lord lingered there for some time before sighing and bravely venturing back out into the party.

As soon as he left, Toph exploded out of the curtains, sighing in relief. _Spirits, don't ever let me catch Zuko and Katara doing that again! _She thought.

* * *

As Toph wandered around the banquet, she knew to keep away from Yao and Shang. Thankfully, Yao planted himself beside his king, so he wouldn't be following her soon. And Shang had disappeared; Toph figured he was preparing for the dance routine.

_Good,_ she reckoned, _he wouldn't want to be around me now, anyways._

She felt around for familiar feet, just as she had before. She faintly recognized the poised gait of Zuko lingering somewhere. Following the vibrations he made, Toph rushed over to him and latched onto his arm.

"Hi, Toph." He acknowledged nonchalantly.

"Hey, Zuko. You talk to Katara yet?" She asked, feigning ignorance.

She felt his heart thumping in his chest cavity, and she was almost positive there was a smile on his face. "Yep." He answered.

Toph pressed, "And how'd she take it?"

Zuko stifled a snicker, muttering, "Oh, she _took_ _it_."

The blind girl rolled her eyes. "Aren't I supposed to be the crude one, Sparky?"

The Fire Lord smirked, and replied, "I'm sorry, Toph. I'm happy. Agni's smiling down at me, I know."

Toph offered him a soft smile and murmured, "Lucky you."

Zuko nudged her, asking, "So, what about you and the dancer? I saw what you two did on the dance floor. _Very _nice." His tone was almost mocking.

The blind girl shook her head and groaned, "_Everyon_e saw. That wasn't what I wanted, Zuko. He just pulled me into it, and worst of all, now everyone will think we're together!" Her voice betrayed her, cracking at the last syllable.

The Fire Lord, sensing her distress, pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Toph," he whispered into her ear, "We'll take of this."

Normally, Toph would have pushed him away in mortification. She didn't like hugs and kisses and gooey stuff. No, she was Toph freaking Beifong! She was aggressive, tough, and scary. She didn't break down like a wimp! But a softer side of her had already taken over, and she let a few tears roll down her face.

"Thank you, Zuko." She murmured, allowing him to pat her back.

Then he pulled away, holding her by her shoulders. "Come on," he said, "I have to go make a toast right about now. Why don't you go find Aang?"

Toph nodded affirmative, still unable to speak. When Zuko left, she started walking.

She finally found Aang standing beside a pillar, listening to Zuko's famous "honor" toast. She smirked and thought, _Silly, predictable Sparky._

"Hey, Toph," Aang whispered when he saw her approaching.

The blind girl replied just as softly, "Hi, Aang. I was wondering where you were this whole time."

She felt his arm curl around her shoulders and he murmured into her ear, "I saw the way you reacted when Shang kissed you. I'll take care of him, don't worry."

Toph held back a gasp. "Aang and….revenge? Since when?"

The Avatar snorted, "Not revenge, Toph. We're just going to have a talk."

The blind girl huffed, "And for a second I thought I was rubbing off on you."

Aang simply chuckled in response before saying, "I have to go give a speech. I'll be back in a second."

Toph simply replied with a solemn, "Ok."

She listened as his brisk footsteps disappeared. Was he floating to the stage again? Then, his feet were on the ground again and he made his way to Zuko. He clasped a hand on his back before Aang opened his mouth, giving a new rendition of his speech from last year.

"I hope everyone is enjoying the banquet. Let's give a big thanks to the Fire Nation, for throwing this spectacular event every year."

The crowd broke into a loud cheer before quieting again. Then Aang continued,

"Growing up in the Southern Air Temple, I had many friends. They were all monks like me. All of them were air benders, and I loved them all very much. But when the head monks told me I was the Avatar, I felt ; no one wanted me around anymore. My friends steered clear from me. They were intimidated by …well, my powers, I guess. My mentor, Monk Gyatso, was the only one who tried to comfort me when the other monks wanted to send me away. But...being the kid I was, I ran away. I was afraid of the duties ahead of me. We could feel the war coming, but I ignored it. I left them to face the Fire Nation on their own,"

Aang's voice cracked, and he stopped for a moment, before taking a deep breath and pushing onward,

"Being the only air bender left means not having anyone around. When I found out that Sozin's army slaughtered my people, I went into the Avatar state for the first time. I was more distraught than you could imagine; but then, my good friend Katara brought me out of it. She told me that even though my people were gone, she and Sokka would serve as my family,"

The Avatar paused and smiled at the two Water Tribe natives, then said,

"And they have. Katara taught me water bending, and what it means to have a mother. She just makes me feel like I can do anything, because she believed in me from the beginning. And Sokka protected us, like a brother should. And he's always cracking jokes."

Sokka and Suki whooped in the audience, to which Aang laughed at. He then gestured to Toph,

"And our family started to grow. Our best friend Toph, we met her during the Earth Rumble Six match. You all know the story. Anyways, we all got off on a rocky start-"

The crowd giggled at his unintentional pun, and he said,

"But we've been close ever since. Toph knows how to have fun, she's hilarious and the most loyal friend ever. She is a seriously amazing earth bending teacher. She has some rather…unorthodox methods of instruction, but I wouldn't trade her in for any other earth bending teacher in the cosmic universe. And she created metal bending, too. That's pretty great."

The crowd roared in applause for Toph, and the blind bender felt herself tearing up just a bit,

"And later on, Zuko and Suki joined us. Suki's a great warrior and a sweet person, too. Zuko…well. Zuko used to be one of our greatest enemies, as you know. He played the role of the 'tragic villain'. But then the cosmos shined some light on him and he joined us. At first, we didn't accept him, what with his chasing after us and almost killing us several times…but he taught me fire bending and made our lives a lot more interesting. That's got to count for something, right?"

Everyone cheered for the Fire Lord, and all the Fire Nation natives started chanting his name in national pride,

"Zu-Ko! Zu-Ko!"

The Fire Lord offered a smirk to them before waving at Aang to wrap up his speech. The Avatar nodded and pressed further,

"Together, we helped change the world. And the reason I use the world 'helped' is because of all the wonderful people here before me. Without the help of the White Lotuses, we never would have stopped Ozai. Without the Kyoshi warriors, we wouldn't have gone this far. I have to say, being the Avatar and keeping balance is hard. But looking down at your faces, knowing that I have a friend in all of you makes it so much better. I want to make a toast: to three years of balance and prosperity, and may it be like this forever. Thank you!"

With that, the crowd exploded into a million sounds. Some people were cheering and clapping, others were sobbing, some were shouting, "YA! GO TEAM AVATAR! WOOOOH!" In fact, that was Sokka.

Aang propelled himself off of the stage with his native element before approaching Toph again. He asked, "You want to go outside? I need some air."

Toph teased, "You're an air bender, Twinkle toes."

Nevertheless, she followed him out onto a balcony, into the warm night air. She sighed, asking, "Aang, we're sixteen years old. I'm going to be seventeen in a month. We're not kids anymore."

The Avatar nodded, replying, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I still can't believe I lived for 116 years, and counting."

Toph reached out blindly for his hand and he took it, smiling at her. "Did you mean what you said in there? About me being loyal?"

Aang squeezed her hand, "Of course, Toph. You love your friends fiercely, and you're protective of us."

_I don't feel very loyal_, she thought. She remembered how fondly he'd spoken of Katara during the speech. If he was still in love with the water bender, then Zuko didn't wait long enough. _Had they spoken about it? _Toph longed to tell Aang about Katara and Zuko's sexual escapade, but that would infringe on their privacy and might ruin things between Aang and Zuko.

She kept her mouth shut and simply squeezed his hand in return. He led her back inside, where the party had only subsided a little. The noise was toned down, with the absence of the Tsungi horn player, but people were still gabbing and mingling.

"Are you going back to Yu Dao after this?" Aang's voice broke through the air.

Toph nodded, replying, "I have to. One week is too long a break for my students. Those lazy bums never get any work when I'm gone."

The Avatar chuckled, saying, "You're still tough as ever, Toph. Do you even let them sleep?"

The blind girl proudly said, "If they can sleep and earth bend at the same time, yes."

Aang snickered, "You'll bury us all."

She chuckled with him, asking, "Where are you going after this?"

"I'm not sure yet." He replied, "But I might take another tour of the Earth Kingdom."

He started talking about his plans and adventures from last year's Earth Kingdom expeditions, but Toph wasn't listening. Instead, she heard the familiar footsteps of two eager benders approaching. _Zuko and Katara,_ she recognized. She could pick up bits of their conversation- very sensual and flirtatious bits. She realized that if she could hear them, so could Aang.

_And if Aang hasn't gotten over Katara yet, he'd blow up on Zuko. Not good, _Toph thought.

The Avatar still had his eyes on Toph, retelling the story of his latest exploits. The blind girl heard them moving behind her, and she felt Zuko's feet shift closer to Katara and he said something very, _very _naughty.

Just as the fire bender neared Katara's lips with his own, Toph took action. She yanked on Aang's orange and yellow robes and spun him around so he was facing away from the secret lovers. Then she crushed his lips against her own.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN**

**LOL wow, I've had that planned for a long time now. So do you realize why I sound like a hypocrite? And you won't believe the crap I have in store for poor Zutara. **

**And if you're wondering who Ikem is….you should probably read The Search, part 1. Like…holy cow when I found out who he was I started jumping up and down and I nearly started screaming because it was such a shocker. Would you like me to spill the beans in the next chapter? Ikem has never met Zuko, but knows Ursa very well. It might be the reason that Zuko has daddy issues. Get any ideas? **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**WOW! 20 reviews! I'm so happy to see so many people responding to my work and praising it. But I also like constructive criticism, comments, and questions! Please, ask me, or ask a character something- I'll answer in whatever way I feel the character would. Lol, at this point you might be wondering what's going through Shang's head. Or Yao, for that matter. Anyways, here's a new chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

Her lips smashed against Aang's and she kissed him with searing force, not letting up until she was sure Zuko and Katara had seen them.. When she pulled away, their lips made an unpleasant, wet sound.

Aang stared at her. His gray eyes were open wide; his mouth was shaped like an "o". He stood in total shock, and then Toph noticed that nobody in the room noticed them. _Thank Kyoshi_, Toph thought. The Avatar finally reacted. He blinked twice before wiping his mouth on his sleeve and clearing his throat. He saw the expression of confusion and fear on her face so he tried to make light of it by saying,

"That was some kiss, Toph. Uh, wow."

Aang continued to stare at Toph until the blind girl's eyes closed and she slammed her fist against her own forehead. "I'm sorry, Aang, that was so stupid, I didn't-"

"Oh…oh, Toph. Spirits, this is insane." He sputtered, before grasping Toph by her hand and tugging her back outside to the veranda.

Holding her by her shoulders, he turned her to face him and asked sincerely, "What was that kiss for?"

Toph sensed a strange component in his voice. Fear? Was Aang afraid that she might love him?

She clenched her jaw with the realization that she was trapped. She would have to tell him about Zuko and Katara else she mislead him into a relationship. He'd had enough heartbreak for one year. _Damn you, Sugar Queen and Sparky!_

"Toph?" Aang's voice was concerned; he saw her fear.

The blind girl's voice betrayed her, the sound trembling as it escaped her lips. "Aang, I kissed you as a distraction."

The Avatar's hands left her shoulders as he asked, "What?" His voice was filled with relative shock.

_This is it,_ Toph thought, _he's going to figure out that I withheld Zuko and Katara's relationship, and he's going to hate me._

She continued, her voice shaky, "I overheard Zuko and Katara in a room together….they were, uh, initiating their relationship."

There was silence, and Toph could almost hear the Avatar's self musings. She pressed onward, "And they were behind us in the ball room. I didn't want you to see them together so I kissed you." She shut her eyes and prepared for the storm that would surely arrive, a turbulent hurricane of emotions that would manifest into the Avatar state and probably fling her off of the balcony.

Aang's chuckle shocked her. He laughed genuinely, hugging Toph tightly to his chest.

The blind girl was rather confused. "What the hell, Aang?" She spoke into his vibrating shoulder, "I thought you'd be furious!"

The man detached himself from her, his laughter dissipating slowly. He cleared his throat and replied, "I knew Zuko would pursue Katara. He told me how he felt and I gave him my blessings."

The astonishment washed over Toph like a surge of sea water. It was quickly replaced with rage. She blindly reached out and grasped his robe and pulled him closer to her. She growled, "So you're telling me that I kissed you for. No. Reason?"

Aang offered her an apologetic smile, though she couldn't see it. "I guess. But you didn't know, so it's OK!"

Toph was frustrated. She shoved him away and turned to lean against the balcony's rail. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I hate being in the dark all the time."

The Avatar was about to point out that since she was blind, she was always submerged in darkness, but he bit his tongue. Instead, he pressed a tattooed hand onto Toph's back and whispered,

"Do you have any feelings for me, Toph?"

His question caused her to flinch. She looked up in his direction and gave him a sad look.

"I don't have any feelings for you. Not romantic ones, at least. I love you, but I also love Katara and Sokka and Zuko and Suki. You're my best friend, you know. I only kissed you to protect your feelings." She responded.

Her reply actually left Aang a little crestfallen, but then again, he was on the rebound. It made sense to be vulnerable. He said, "C'mon, cheer up, things aren't so bad. No one got hurt, right?"

The girl let a smile breach her features and the air bender's warm hand brushed briefly against her chin.

"There you go." He praised. "Alright, let's go inside. I think Shang and his friends are going to perform soon."

Toph sneered at the sound of Shang's name. Oh, how she'd like to grab him by the balls and fling him into the next city. She wanted to punch him, to scream at him, plead him to explain the kiss (or rather, the ravaging) he'd put her through. Whatever miniscule romantic feelings she was starting to develop for him were long gone-replaced completely with fury.

"Toph, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned again.

The blind girl huffed exasperatedly, "As if you don't know!" _Why are you so clueless, Twinkle toes?_

It took Aang a few seconds to register her reason for being upset. "Oh, right," he pondered, "I give you my word as an Avatar; I _will_ have a talk with him."

Toph remembered the last time Aang gave a solemn "Avatar promise", and how it ended with her and Katara nearly getting blasted into smithereens. Toph snorted suddenly, surprising Aang and herself.

"Sifu," Aang teased slightly, "you know you've been acting weird ever since we arrived."

The earth bender snorted again, this time landing a gentle punch-as if Toph's punches could ever be gentle-on his shoulder. She replied, "And how, Twinkle toes, is that?"

The Avatar simply replied, "You're a lot more open, you know."

Toph raised an eyebrow, tempted to ask for his point. _Me, Toph Beifong? Open? Pssht. Please, I think you must have fallen off of Appa because I am A-OK!_

But that wasn't the case, was it? She knew that she'd become weaker and weaker, more prone to emotional breakdowns lately. Since she arrived in the Fire Nation, she'd been tearing up more and more lately, even cried once. That wasn't who she was. She was supposed to be the toughest person there ever was; she was a warrior, a hero! She didn't let grief and pity get in her way!

But then Toph had a scary thought: perhaps she'd always been this way, but because she'd never shown her feeling before, she never realized they were there.

The Avatar said, "Toph, I'm your best friend. Talk to me."

The earth bender sighed in frustration, clenching her fists. "I don't know Aang! I'm mad at Shang for making a fool out of me in front of all the guests, I'm mad at you and Sparky for not telling me about your little _courting plan, _and…gah! I don't know, Aang. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Aang curled his arm around her shoulders and said, "OK, I understand, but if you ever need to talk..."

Toph rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, Twinkles. I'll come find you. I'd know your fancy feet anywhere."

Aang replied, smiling, "Let's go inside?"

Nodding almost happily now, she followed him inside and they found themselves at their friends' table. Toph could hear Suki and Sokka chattering excitedly about something, Zuko was planted beside Katara, and now she and Aang sat there.

She tried to ignore the blatant romantic gestures between Suki and Sokka, but Spirits, they were too obvious! The two would give each other Eskimo kisses and giggle about stupid inside jokes. It disgusted Toph-partially because she knew that if it were her and Sokka talking to each other like that, she wouldn't have minded at all.

_Stop thinking like this, stupid,_ she growled inwardly.

To distract herself, she set her elbow on the low table and turned to Katara's direction. "So Sweetness, when are you moving in with Sparky?"

Zuko made a weird sputtering noise and then started to cough. Toph snickered, "Choking on your tea, eh, Zuko?"

The Fire Lord pounded on his chest with his fist and muttered, "Wrong pipe."

Toph smirked in triumph. Sokka asked, completely oblivious, "Why would Katara need to move into the palace?"

Suki subtly rubbed her temples. Even Aang stifled a snort. Katara improvised in the best way she could-badly.

"No reason," she replied far too quickly, "Toph is just joking. _Right_ _Toph_?"

The blind girl could sense the venom laced into Katara's voice. Toph chose to ignore it, replying, "Nope. I heard some of the going-ons in that back room. Frankly," she turned to Zuko, "You finished way too fast there, Sparky. Be careful, Sugar Queen might just bail on you."

"TOPH!" Katara shouted. Toph held back a smile, feeling the heartbeats of everyone race like raberoos. Oh, this was _precious. _

"What? Finished what?" Sokka asked, completely missing the sexual allusion.

Zuko cleared his throat and uttered, "There wasn't any of …that. _We_ never finished."

"But I heard!" Toph retorted.

Katara replied with a tight smile on her lips, "We stopped on purpose, Toph. Now, SHUT. UP."

Toph rolled her eyes and crossed her robed arms over her chest. "Not the way I heard it." She murmured.

In the meanwhile, Sokka was still confused. "What are you guys talking about? A building project or something?"

Suki sighed endearingly and patted her boyfriend's shoulder. "Don't think about it too much, Honey. It'll only hurt your brain."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Zuko stood up and stated, "I have to go introduce the dancers."Toph heard Zuko's voice-loud, unwavering, announcing the debut performance of the group Endless Conundrum.

The Fire Lord declared, "I have been asked to extinguish all the lamps and torches in this room except one, to enhance the experience. It is an honor to have them here, truly. Please welcome the Endless Conundrum!"

Suddenly, Toph felt a shift in everyone's positions, and a few whimpers and surprised gasps filled the air. The lights went out.

"What a bunch of big babies." She muttered. She heard Aang snicker in response.

Then, she sensed monumental vibrations gradually coming closer and a few seconds later, three individuals charged into the room at different angles, from three separate doors. They were roaring and screeching, like a battle cry. A few hushed gasps and murmurs sounded behind her. She had to commend Shang: that entrance was pretty dramatic.

She felt the three feet meet at the center of the dance floor, where they immediately started to shift around each other. Shang's form lunged at Juniper, who's graceful and yet dangerous maneuvering awed the crowd. She moved quickly and lethally, kicking her feet out at him. He couldn't grab hold of her, because she was elusive. She continued dodging, but was able to land her "blows" on him each time. She was also trying to catch up with Hojo; Toph figured she must be dressed like Azula. Hojo was light on his feet; the way he danced was through the various slow motion jumps and careful stepping. Toph decided that he made a very good Aang.

Shang, much to her chagrin, was a phenomenal Zuko. He was smart, fast, skilled, but he was also wavering between Hojo and Juniper. Perhaps they were trying to recreate Zuko's troubles with loyalty? Abruptly, Juniper flicked herself into the middle, piercing Hojo's costume with the tips of her fingers. He crashed into the ground with a heavy _clunk_. It stunned the audience, but Toph knew that was planned. When Hojo fell, a new pair of feet emerged.

Toph could feel four pairs on the dance floor. _Four dancers? Did someone else join them?_ She wondered.

A wave of surprised and pleased murmurs rippled through the crowd. She heard Sokka's voice whisper, "Katara, that's you!"

"No," Aang's voice sounded, "I think that's On Ji! Katara, On Ji is playing you!"

Toph raised an eyebrow and listened for the new dancer's vibrations.

She felt On Ji's light and careful steps, but they were also fluid-like and confident. Suddenly, Hojo and Juniper were out of the picture, leaving Shang and the new girl on the floor. They circled each other and On Ji nearly ran into him, but he swept her up and threw her down. Her palms hit the floor and her feet were up, catching his knees and sending him over her. He rolled off of her, with On Ji actually tumbling around underneath him-making it seem like she was enabling him. The blind girl realized that they were simulating the fight they had in Ba Sing Se.

Then he yanked her up and caught her arms in his grasp. She jumped and thrust her feet into his legs, then ran up his body, before he let her go and jumped up. Finally, Hojo and Juniper reappeared. Then On Ji jumped into Hojo's arms, rather, she clung to him, and they were out of Toph's scope.

Shang and Juniper were no longer dressed as Zuko and Azula, now they were Toph and Sokka. Juniper made sure to recreate Toph's praying-mantis bending style, which the blind girl highly respected. She moved swiftly and carefully the same time, and Shang was logical and calculating, as he was relying on hand-to-hand combat. Toph could tell he was more comfortable with this dance, since Shang was also a non-bender.

She heard Sokka murmur excitedly to Suki, but she didn't catch what he was saying. She was entranced with her actress's movements. Throughout the next few minutes, Juniper seemed to grow warmer to Shang and now their dance was less like a spar and more like a romantic encounter.

Toph could swear she felt a hitch in Suki's breath. She stifled a snigger.

The rest of the dance went stupendously- ending with the four of them ricocheting off of each other and landing on opposite corners of the dance floor in separate bending stances. The crowd roared in applause, even Toph had to cheer. Though she couldn't see the performance, their footwork was well coordinated and wonderful.

Once the crowd's cries quieted, Zuko once again took center stage and proclaimed, "That was quite a performance! A big thank you to the Endless Conundrum, that was incredible. And to my guests, if you'll all make your ways down to the public garden, we'll start the fireworks display."

A flooding of feet and vibrations swarmed over Toph's brain and she recoiled into the background, waiting for the mass of guests to leave. Out of the blue, she heard Sokka's voice:

"Whoa, Toph-are you alright?"

She blinked her feeling of lightheadedness away. "Yeah, Snoozles" she replied, "Why do you ask?"

She felt his hand on her shoulder. "Your eyes just glazed over for a second." He said, voice projecting alarm.

She swatted him away, saying, "I'm fine."

Instead of leaving her alone, Sokka looped his arm through hers and said, "C'mon, let's go to the garden."

Without thinking, Toph blurted, "Where's your girlfriend?"

Sokka shrugged, "I think she said something about talking to Katara. She'll be down soon."

For a fleeting moment, the blind girl had hoped that Sokka's heart would start to race, hoping some indication of trouble would make itself known. But no, Sokka and Suki were in paradise. Toph would just have to get used to it.

With that, she clung to his muscled arm and followed him carefully down a number of steps and through a few corridors in silence. A few groups chatted as they walked, animatedly, in front of them.

Soon enough, with everyone gathered in the public garden, the fireworks display began. This time, Toph situated herself between Sokka and Katara. It was eerily quiet for a few moments, but the blind girl could feel the slight rumble that shook the earth when the fireworks were launched. A few seconds later, a series of earsplitting explosions made Toph jump. She hugged Sokka's arm, drawing a chuckle from the Water Tribe man.

"Afraid, Toph?"

"Cork it, Snoozles."

"Never."

Toph gave his limb a pinch for good measure and shut her eyes, as if trying to tune out the fireworks. They continued to pop and crackle for a few minutes, extracting several gasps of pleasure from the guests. Sometimes Toph wondered what they looked like.

Aang and Sokka once tried to explain to them that they looked like pinwheels and stars, but that didn't work. Then they tried to decode the meaning of "colors" to her because of her inability to see them. That also ended in disaster.

Toph could only listen and feel. And there were times when that was enough.

* * *

It was nearing midnight when most of the guests began departing.

King Bumi let out a crazed cackle per usual and gave each of the gang a piece of geminite before taking off. The Lady Dowager Ursa and Ikem decided to take a vacation to one of the neighboring islands. Jeong Jeong disappeared in his usual fashion, never leaving a trace of himself. Master Piandao gave Sokka a hug and then departed back to his school. The extended gang: Haru, Teo, Tyro, the Freedom Fighters and the like said their heartfelt goodbyes.

The only people left besides a handful of Fire Nation civilians were the Endless Conundrum, Iroh and King Kuei's posse. Aang held On Ji in an animated conversation. Apparently, there were some things left unsaid the last time she'd seen him-or rather, Kuzon.

Iroh and Katara were talking quietly-something about Zuko, as far as Toph could tell.

The Fire Lord, Sokka, Suki and the rest of the dancers were in their own conversation. She could hear Shang boasting and showing off, Juniper was clinging to Zuko of course. Hojo was too busy fan-boying, and Sokka was gladly clowning around for them.

Toph stood off to the side of the ball room, head spinning and stomach churning, as she listened to Yao's heartbeat. It was a wild, angry beat; this made Toph guilty. She knew he saw both kisses, and she knew he hated her. She wanted badly to tell him the truth, but she didn't know how.

Getting a smothering kiss from one guy on the dance floor was one thing, but planting one on the Avatar was another. That was risky business, and Toph could lose it all.

She felt Katara and Suki's feet near her. "Hey." She acknowledged.

The water bender replied, "Hey, Toph. Why are you so secluded?"

The blind girl shrugged, saying, "I don't feel good."

"Yeah?" Suki asked, "It's because of that kiss between you and Shang, right?"

Toph nodded, responding, "Did everyone see that? Holy freaking Spirits…."

The older girls snorted in response. "It was pretty obvious. Shang had his hands all over you, and his mouth totally took over your face." Suki responded

Toph grimaced. "And Yao. I know he hates me for it."

Katara's hand was on her shoulder. Her voice was barely a whisper, "Toph, you don't know that for sure. You need to talk to him. If he really likes you the way I know he does, then he'll understand."

The earth bender rejoined, "And what about me kissing Aang? He'll come up with a million reasons for me to have not kissed him."

Suki gasped, "You kissed Aang!?"

The water bender was quiet for a moment. "Come to think of it…why did you kiss him?"

Toph groaned in frustration, "Because I didn't want him to see you and Zuko sucking face!"

Katara's heartbeat spiked and she chastised, "Hey, me and Zuko's relationship is none of your business."

Again, Suki was stunned. She turned to Katara, "You and Zuko hooked up? Finally!"

Toph rolled her eyes, "Please. I was there when those two were humping like wild hog-monkeys! You mind telling me what the _hell_ happened?"

She heard the water bender's heart thumping heavily and her breathing pattern sharpened. She knew Katara was blushing. Suki stifled a giggle,

Katara sheepishly replied, "Well, Zuko approached me at the beginning of the banquet, right before dinner and he told me how he felt. Oh, he was so cute about it, Suki. He got this adorable blush on his face and he started stuttering and…well, the next thing I knew...we were kissing."

Suki let out a soft, "Aw!"

The Water Tribe woman said, "We sort of stumbled into a room and-"

"Got busy." Toph continued.

Katara rubbed her arm, replying, "Not exactly. We sort of just rearranged our clothing enough for um…"

"Dry humping?" Suki asked, drawing out another blush from the water bender.

"Yeah," she replied, "It was surprisingly good. Zuko has some very powerful hips."

Toph rolled her eyes. "Bleh," she said, "Too much information there, Sweetness."

Suki giggled, "Not _enough_ information, Katara. You have to tell me every detail!"

The two older girls started to chatter about the Fire Lord's well-toned physique and delightful sexual prowess, leaving Toph to herself once again. The earth bender sighed as she listened to Yao's melancholy heartbeat. He was standing beside two other guards, but she believed she could pull him away for one moment.

What could go wrong?

She slowly made her way to the man, praying to the Spirits that everything would go well. Hopefully, Yao would be his kind and understanding self and wouldn't hold the kisses against her.

When she reached him, she heard his heartbeat spike greatly and his breathing became heavy. He wasn't comfortable with her there. Toph looked up in his direction and bravely greeted him with a smile,

"Hey Yao, can we talk?" She said sweetly.

His answer caught her off guard. "You know what? I think I'd rather just stick around here." He retorted coldly.

Toph could feel the heart rates of the two other guards beside him; they heard him. She figured that Yao might make a scene.

"Really, I think we should talk." She pressed, keeping her voice low.

The man let out an exasperated sigh and said flatly, "Fine. I don't know what we have to talk about, though."

His answer bothered Toph. It crawled into her consciousness and beat the living crap out of her ego. She masked her sadness with another sugary sweet grin and reached out to grab his arm. She tugged gently on it as they walked outside of the ball room.

Once they were free of prying eyes and ears, Toph let her dejection tumble out of her lips. "I know what you're thinking, and no, Shang and I aren't together."

Yao's voice was ice cold, mean. "Really? What about that kiss? That punk nearly licked your face clean off in front of everyone! Have you ever heard of discretion? It would've saved us both a lot of pain and discomfort."

Toph could feel her patience gradually slipping away from her grasp. "You're acting like I enjoyed that! And I didn't! I didn't ask for it, OK? I don't even like him!" She nearly exclaimed.

The man snorted, replying angrily, "What about before the kiss, Toph? You two were dancing like animals. Frankly, I was waiting for him to hitch up your dress."

The blind girl blushed furiously. "HE did all those things! I didn't like it; in fact, I pushed him away!"

Yao chuckled darkly, "And the kiss with the Avatar? You can bet your parent's fortune I saw that, and you initiated it!"

Toph groaned in anger, "Spirits, Yao! I was trying to distract him from something…it's a long story, but I just didn't want him to see his ex and her new-"

The man held up a hand and snapped, "You're right, it is a long story. Honestly, Toph. I liked you, I really liked you. You know, last year at the banquet, I wanted so badly to kiss you while we danced but I knew you would pound my face in if I tried. But after Shang kissed you, you ran away like a scared lemur!"

First, Toph grimaced at his usage of the past tense "liked", then she bared her teeth in frustration when he insulted her guts. She replied the only way she knew how. She insulted him.

"Well, how about you try kissing me now so I can crack your stupid, ugly cranium open!" She shouted.

Yao clenched his fists and decided to take her up on her offer. He grabbed her by the sides of her heads and yanked her up towards him. Their lips met with force and frustration. He kept his strong hands over her hair and face as he kissed her.

Toph was shocked by how dominating and forceful Yao was; she always saw him as a gentle spirit. Almost as quickly as the kiss had happened, it ended. He pulled away from her, as though disgusted, and snapped,

"There, now you've kissed three men tonight. Hopefully, that'll curb your appetite for the time being."

Toph's eyes widened at his accusation. "What the…? Did you just call me a whore?!" She cried.

"Oh, no, forgive me," Yao droned sarcastically, "Whores commit their peccadilloes smartly, for something in return. Sluts just do it for the sheer pleasure of being sluts."

She didn't know what happened after that. Her mind was turning with rage and pain and humiliation and hundreds of other emotions. She stomped her feet on the ground and summoned a sea of stone from the walls to attack Yao. Within seconds, the man had successfully scattered the rocks, away from him, and snarled at her,

"That was immature, don't you think? I'm going back inside. Just leave me alone."

Toph only stared at him, totally devoid of cognitive thought. Her head was pounding so loudly she was surprised that he couldn't hear it. She was starting to feel dizzy, faint. She furrowed her eyebrows together and reached out to feel against the wall. Leaning against it, she looked back up at Yao. For a moment, she was shocked to find that she couldn't see him. Then she remembered her blindness.

Her knees buckled as suddenly her stomach cramped horribly. She grunted and her arm curled around her midsection.

"Toph? What's going on-" Yao's voice sounded. The blind girl didn't hear him, though. She felt herself slipping away gradually. Her stomach, eyes, and head-everything hurt. She gave a soft whimper before crumpling onto the ground.

The last thing she heard before the darkness swept over her was Yao's frantic shouts, _"Toph! Toph, get up!"_

* * *

When she came to, Toph felt the lushness of an overstuffed bed pressing against her back. She overheard several voices frenetically whispering. The sound was too much for her pulsing mind. She groaned, whimpering, "Can you all just shut your yaps?"

"She's awake!" Katara's voice cried, "She's awake, guys!"

Toph could feel a rush of people piling into the room, gathering around her. She could hear them whispering harshly,

"Can you hear me, Toph?"

"Give her some air!"

"You're blocking my way, Jerk Lord, move it!"

She started to sit up, but the burning sensation of her forehead told her that it was a bad idea. She lay back down and rubbed her temples.

"What happened?" She asked, looking at Katara's direction.

The water bender squeezed her hand and replied, "You passed out a couple of nights ago."

Toph raised her eyebrows. "A couple of nights? I was out for that long?"

"Yeah," Katara replied, "We think you might be sick. You're burning up." Her hand pressed against Toph's face and the blind girl shivered at how cold it felt. Or maybe how cold it was compared to her burning skin.

Then she remembered something. "The banquet! What happened?"

Suki took charge, shooing the boys out of the room for a moment. When they were gone, she said, "Yao left with King Kuei."

Toph felt her eyes burn with tears and she didn't even realize they'd fallen down the sides of her face until Katara hugged her closely to her chest and cooed, "Oh, Toph. I'm so sorry."

Normally, the blind girl would have pushed her away. But instead, with all the trauma and frustrations that had built up over the last weeks: the loneliness, the anger, Shang's wandering hands, the fruitless kiss with Aang, the emotionally draining confrontation with Yao; it was just too much for a teenage girl. She buried her face into the older girl's shoulder and sobbed. She wept and wept and Katara would pat her back and stroke her hair soothingly. For a moment, Toph felt like she was in her mother's arms. And for that moment, she decided to indulge in it. After all, it wasn't like Poppy Beifong was going to come around to comfort her daughter any time soon.

Toph clung to Katara until her tears dried completely. When she felt empty the way one does after a good cry, she pulled away from the water bender and tried to smile. "So…am I going to get out of this bed soon?" She said shakily, wiping her face.

The older girls exchanged worried glances, and from their pumping heartbeats, Toph could tell something grave was coming. "What?" She asked, "What's going? What aren't you telling me, Katara?"

The water bender flinched at the use of her first name. "Well, I don't know exactly what made you sick. It could have been something you drank or ate at the banquet, or maybe someone was sick and you caught it…I'm not sure. But with your fever so high, we can't afford to move you anywhere. You'll be staying in the Fire Nation. I'm staying too, to keep you company and to try to heal you."

The earth bender gawked. "What?! What about my school? What about all of my plans? I can't just throw them all away because of a bug!" She proceeded to throw the sheets off of her body and scooted off, but instantly was met with dizziness. Katara pushed her back onto the mattress and rebuked,

"Toph, don't make this worse."

The blind girl moaned in defeat. She was sick and helpless. She hated being helpless. She didn't want to stay in the Fire Nation any longer. She didn't want to listen to anymore crap about relationships. Suddenly, a churn in her stomach made her rethink her complaints.

"Uh…Sweetness? I think the contents of my stomach are making a comeback." She groaned.

Katara quickly set a pail in front of the girl's face and looked away in mild disgust as Toph lurched nothing but bile in there. She glanced at Suki and whispered, "Tui help us all."

* * *

**You know, that ending sort of sucked. But on to the notes: Toph is sick. Is it serious? Maybe, maybe not. So…Zutara? I'm making this story more about Zutara, as well as Toph/everyone-in-the-whole-flipping-story. So you know, it's not smooth sailing for Zuko and Katara. There will be storm clouds. And speaking of storms, poor Yao. I like him a lot. I think he'd look like a younger version of that earth bender in that first Omashu episode, the one that crushes the cabbage vendor's inventory. And I had some trouble figuring out who Aang's lover would end up being. It's not Katara, so if you're a canon-compliant noob then you should probably exit this window. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 is up! Thanks for all of the support and reviews, guys! This one is almost all dialogue, and it's very short. Sorry xD**

* * *

Every time she sits up too fast, she feels a rush of blood to her head and she needs to lie down again.

Every time she eats something too spicy, she must purge the contents of her stomach into a pail just to soothe the burning sensation down below.

And every time she needs to use the bathroom, she needs to beg a nurse for an empty pail, because if she moves out of the bed she will be overcome with nausea. And when she's nauseous, she will vomit.

It was a never ending circle of total _crapness _for Toph.

For a week now, she has been bedridden with a disease Katara had yet to diagnose. It drove Toph insane—both because she didn't know what was ailing her and because she wasn't _improving._

Unfortunately for the petite earth bender, it seemed like she was slowly worsening. Her fever grew hotter and hotter, and just when she thought her arc would finally come tumbling, it would peak again. Her stomach could barely hold a spoonful of vegetable stew and her mouth tasted of sickly fasting breath.

In short, Toph felt agonizingly awful.

The only things consoling her were her friends. Whenever she woke up, Zuko would be there to have kind heart-to-hearts with her. It was something Toph really enjoyed—not that she'd ever admit it. Sparky was a serious man and cared for her very much. Sometimes, she just needed someone to talk to. He actually got her to spill on exactly what had happened between her and her parents:

"They meddled again and again. The academy is mine, the apartment is mine, and I don't need their handouts. I don't want the family fortune."

"I used to say that about this crown. When I was banished, I had nothing, Toph-"

"That's not true. You had your Uncle; you had a crew and a ship. You were still a prince."

"Maybe so, but I didn't know that. I didn't even know where my destiny lied until I came to the Western Air Temple."

"What are you saying?" The blind girl asked.

"What I'm saying is that your destinies will cross again. You think you'll be free of your family, Toph? What about if you get married and have kids? I'm sure they'll want something to do with their grandchildren." Zuko replied.

"I'll move away." She retorted.

"Dammit, Toph—no you won't! I won't let you run away. I ran for three years until I realized that I did belong here." He chastised.

"As a _king_, Zuko. You tell everyone what to do!" She leaned upward and narrowed her eyes.

"It's not that simple, champ. Here," she heard a rustle and suddenly, something metal and cold was in her hands. She ran her fingers over the simple metallic design, pricking her finger on the sharp points of the flame-shaped trophy.

"Is this….your crown?" She asked.

"Yes." He answered.

She bounced it in her hands a couple of times. "It's light."

"But the load that comes with it isn't." He said sadly.

Toph sighed and extended her arm, handing him back the crown. "I'm the sole Beifong heiress, but I can't have their money after everything we've been through."

"No one said you had to. Just…let them know where you stand and they'll be forced to accept it."

"But you didn't grow up with my parents, Zuko." She reminded him.

"Please," _he_ reminded _her_, "Ozai raised me."

* * *

Her breakfast would be followed by tea time with Uncle Iroh. She thoroughly loved the concept of two awesome fire benders visiting in a row. Iroh would pour her some calming chamomile tea, which soothed the dull ache in her stomach. He would tell her stories of his adventures as a young man:

"…and when the butcher was not looking, I grabbed the feathered beast and ran!" The elder chuckled.

Toph burst into a giggle, careful to put her cup down in order to keep the tea from spilling over.

"The ostrich-horse had just eaten noodles, and quite the stench erupted from its behind. Imagine how well that went with my fire bending!" He said, slapping his thigh.

She and him laughed some more and he continued, "The butcher was so angry with me. He threatened to disembowel me and serve my organs as an entrée."

"Whoa. He threatened the Crown Prince?" Toph asked.

"He didn't know who I was. Remember, I was in disguise." Iroh replied.

"Oh, right."

"I hopped onto the beast and we raced down the road until I was sure we were safe. I led him into a nearby town—a small farming village, I believe—and I snuck him into a stable. I thought it was abandoned, but apparently, a poor family owned it. Their daughter found me and the beast hiding away, eating their oats."

"Did she freak out?" She was genuinely intrigued.

"Oh, no. I was very smooth with the ladies in my younger days. I convinced her to let the horse and I stay. She was very kind, and not to mention quite beautiful."

"…And?" Toph prodded.

"It turns out; her father was the butcher I stole from." Iroh answered sheepishly.

Toph's laugh could be heard from the outer wall of the palace.

"I ended up revealing my true identity. Needless to say, the butcher was very sorry and offered to slaughter any animals of my choice. But I had something else in mind." He continued, chuckling as well.

"Let me guess…the girl?" The blind girl winked.

"He offered his daughter's hand in marriage at my request."

"You guys got married!" She threw her arms up, as though it'd happened yesterday.

"Prince Iroh and Princess Xin. My mother said we were a match made in heaven." He said dreamily.

"I bet you were. I'm sorry…" She started to apologize, like it would bring her back from the dead.

"There is no need. I know Xin is in the Spirit World. We talk sometimes."

"What about your son?" She asked.

"We talk about him, too." He replied softly.

It wasn't what Toph meant, but she understood his answer. She sipped her tea in silence.

* * *

After tea time came the comedic relief she needed: Sokka and Aang. The day after she got sick, Aang fled the room and came back hours later looking quite triumphant.

"You beat up Shang, didn't you?" She asked, anticipating grin apparent on her face.

"Even better. I dropped him off at the Boiling Rock." Aang replied.

"…I love you Twinkle toes." She said, squeezing his hand.

"I probably shouldn't tell anyone you said that." The Avatar said.

"You better not." She replied seriously.

"Too late!" Sokka's voice rang through the room and Aang blushed furiously.

Toph, Aang and Sokka: the three bandits, the trio of badassery, the dream team of all dream teams. Toph realized that she and Sokka had completely corrupted Aang-in fact, Toph probably corrupted Sokka too.

The three of them would have a grand time being their dumb selves:

"Hey Twinkle toes, knock-knock!" Toph asked.

"You know I don't like those jokes." Aang replied.

"It's because you ruin them by saying 'come in'." Sokka added.

"It's true, Twinkle toes. You aren't funny without us. You have to learn how to tell a proper joke."

"I don't need jokes. I have this!" Aang defended.

The sound of whirling marbles echoed throughout the room and Toph was sure Aang was wearing that stupid grin on his face.

"No, Twinkle toes, just no."

"Ignore the sour puss, Aang. Just repeat after me-" Sokka started, but the blind girl shouted,

"Who're you calling a sour puss, Snoozles?"

"Momo, I'm calling _Momo_ a sour puss."

"Don't even start with sarcasm, Sokka. I can dance circles around you in even that category."

"Oh yeah? I just _love_ when you snore while we're all trying to sleep!"

"Please! At least my ears don't make for elephant shade!"

"That wasn't sarcasm!"

"Exaggeration—same thing!"

"Uh, guys? I thought we were trying to teach me how to be funny." Aang asked.

"You know what's funny? Animal puns."

"Oh, come on, Snoozles. Those are not funny!" The earth bender shouted.

"What did Appa say to his son when he moved to a university?" He asked.

"I'm afraid to answer that." Toph said.

"By son!" Sokka shouted.

"Huh?" The Avatar and the earth bender pondered.

"Get it? BI-SON. Bison! As in-"

"We get it, Sokka." Toph droned.

"Haha! That was so hilarious Sokka. I can barely breathe!" Aang exclaimed.

"See?" Sokka poked her shoulder, "Aang thinks I'm hilarious."

"No, I was being sarcastic, just like Toph said to be." The air bender said with a devious smile.

"Why do you feel the need to do that?" Sokka growled.

"Good work, Twinkle toes." Toph replied proudly.

"Thanks, Sifu." The Avatar bowed.

"Bleh. Respect."

"Shut up, Snoozles."

"You'll never shut me up, sister."

"Watch me."

Sokka was earth bent into the hallway. His voice was barely a whisper, "I think some of that stone was lodged in my ass."

Toph couldn't help it. She doubled over, crying from laughter.

* * *

After her time with the boys, Katara visited for her healing session.

"Now lay back."

"I know the deal, Sugar Queen."

After nearly half an hour later, after unsuccessfully searching for pathogens in Toph's body, Katara sighed and pulled away.

"I just can't see it. Whatever you're sick with, it's hiding very well."

"…what time of the month is it?" Toph asked.

"Ten days before a full moon, why?" Katara replied, confused.

Silence. Suddenly, the realization hit the water bender.

"…I can't believe you'd ask me to do that to you, Toph!" She shouted.

"I didn't say anything." The earth bender replied innocently.

"You know what I mean! You want me to blood bend!"

"Please?" The girl's green eyes were pleading, achingly sad. Toph never used proper language. Still.

"No! It's an evil practice, and I can't do it to you, Toph. You're like my sister." Katara said.

"If your sister gets worse and dies, she'll haunt you in your dreams!" The earth bender exclaimed.

"I don't care. Hama was consumed by her power and she took the lives of innocent people. I can't-"

"Whatever, Katara. You're afraid of becoming a haggard old freak. I get it." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"An _evil_ haggard old freak."

More silence. Katara knew she would anger Toph by refusing, but she simply wouldn't invade her body in such a malevolent manner.

"I'm sorry, Toph. I'll figure this out."

"Alright, Sweetness."

"You are like my little sister."

"Don't call me little."

"OK, you're more like my big brother."

"You know what that makes Snoozles, right?"

Katara chuckled and settled a hand on her friend's arm. "I'll come back later."

* * *

After dinner, the girls—meaning Suki and Katara—would gather around Toph and just giggled about boys. After Toph effectively confessed her feelings about Yao, she felt more comfortable talking girly with her friends. She just hated when Suki complained about Sokka's quirks.

_Bitch, don't make fun of Snoozles. Only I'm allowed to do that._

"So, Katara, how are you and the Fire Lord? Did you get around to sharing a bed yet?

"Not exactly. Remember when I promised him that we'd talk about what happened at the banquet?"

"You didn't." Toph could feel her friend's shameful heart rate spike.

"I'm nervous. I've been avoiding him."

"You're an idiot, Sweetness." Toph chastised.

"Shut up, Toph." The water bender grumbled.

"Katara, you have to talk to him. This could end badly if you don't." Suki added.

"I know Suki. I just don't know what came over me in that room. It started out so innocent, but there's something so mesmeric about fire benders. He smelled amazing! Like…sandalwood and cinnamon. I know, it's weird, but…oh Yue, he is so perfect."

Toph rolled her eyes but she let herself smile.

"And he's stronger than he'll let you believe. And so warm and cozy and great. I felt safe with him. I guess that's what made me drag him into the room." Katara's voice was low.

Suki giggled.

"So you initiated it? You're not as innocent as your brother thinks." Toph teased.

"It was terrific. Have you ever tried frottage?" The water bender asked.

"It sounds nasty when you say it like that." The earth bender responded.

"What do you mean?"

"Frottage. That doesn't sound sexy." She replied.

"Humping, then."

"Better."

"Well, we were kissing and I felt something touch my stomach through his robe and Zuko—he's so cute—he was blushing and apologizing!" Katara was nearing a squeal.

Suki let out an "Aw!"

"I kissed him again and told him I was reacting the same way."

"…You know how that sounds at first, right?" Toph asked.

"Zuko said the same thing." Katara laughed.

The three girls giggled.

"Anyways. He lifted me up, along with my dress, and I wrapped my legs around him. I didn't even realize that he whipped it out but I could literally feel him through my wrappings."

Suki and Toph were both blushing.

"And it touched me and it was like electricity. La, he was so strong and focused! He started kissing my neck while he moved and he kept going until I whispered that we were going to get caught. Then he pulled away and we agreed to meet up later."

"To talk about it, right?" Suki asked.

"Yes." The brunette replied shamefully. She hung her head low.

Toph flailed her foot into her friend's gut. "And what's stopping you?"

"Stuff." The girl replied.

"You're an idiot, Sweetness." Toph said, shaking her head.

* * *

The earth bender had gotten into the groove quickly. Apart from her sickness and lack of exercise, her stay in the palace wasn't bad at all. She liked tea and spicy Fire Nation food and her abuse of power over the maids. Now, a second week later, Toph lay back in her bed, awaiting her time with Sokka and Aang.

What she didn't expect was for the entire gang to enter the room at once. Their marching feet and unisonous heartbeats swarmed the blind girl's head and she shut her eyes, trying to find her happy place.

"Toph," Katara's voice rang in her ears.

"What's going on?" She asked. She gripped the silken sheets underneath her. She heard the sadness in Sugar Queen's voice.

"We have to leave." Sokka responded.

Toph shot up in her bed, prompting a wave of blood to crash into her brain and send her groaning.

"What?!" She shouted.

"I'm sorry, kid. We had plans after the banquet." The Water Tribe man rejoined.

"And you're going to blame me for getting sick?" Toph retorted, her face burning and fists clenching. She was so going to earth bend him out of the window.

"What? No, Toph, that's not it." He replied. She felt his hand on hers but she turned her face away from him.

"I have duties in the South Pole." He said softly.

"And I have to start my tour of the Earth Kingdom." The Avatar piped in.

"Not you too, Aang!" She whined.

The tattooed boy pushed through the crowd around her bed and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tightly to his chest.

"On Ji?" She whispered into his ear.

"She's coming with." He replied just as softly.

She rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "Good boy."

Aang chuckled, and Toph soaked in the vibrations of his body a while longer. Good old Aang.

Sokka approached her and she allowed him to wrap his muscled arms around her.

"Group hug!" Aang exclaimed.

The entire gang enveloped the blind girl into a tight, loving hug. Toph held her tears again and she laughed good-naturedly.

"You guys are so cheesy. Get off of me before it rubs off."

They all chuckled. Sokka let his hand brush over her cheek, saying,

"I'll bring you some seal jerky next time I see you."

"OK." She replied with a smile.

Suki leaned in to hug her and said, "It's been great seeing you, Toph. I hope you get better."

"Thanks, fan girl. Take care of Snoozles for me, will you?" She replied.

Suki nodded and went to say goodbye to Aang while Sokka enveloped Katara in a hug.

"Bye, sis. The minute Toph's on her feet, send us a letter that you're coming home. Got it?" He said.

Suki hugged her next and said, "We have next year."

Katara replied, "La willing. Stay safe."

Toph listened to Sokka and Zuko muttering something like,

"Take care, Jerk Lord."

"You too, you seal sniffing bastard."

Then she heard Aang and Katara whispering. The water bender murmured, "I'll miss you, Aang. Give Bosco a big hug for me, OK?"

"Of course, Katara. Make sure Toph-"

"Is OK, I know."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Aang."

They embraced tightly. Toph would've been panicky by their words of love had it not been for the fact that Aang promised her that he would only love her like a sister and a friend.

The vibrations that came from him when he said that had confirmed it. It wasn't the same "I love you" he'd given her the last three years.

Now it was just like, "I love you like I love Sokka."

It gave Toph chills. Things were changing. Was it this complicated during the war?

No, of course not. She didn't have romantic troubles except an unrequited crush on Sokka. And Aang and Katara, well, they were kids and happily in love. They just wouldn't admit it. And Zuko. There were times when Toph wondered if he were happy as a Prince living with them in exile. There were certainly less responsibilities.

Back in the war, they could be children moonlighting as adults, putting on their mature faces when warranted. They had no shame, no worries, and fun. So much damn fun. Nothing was as complex.

She and Sokka and Aang could go gallivanting about the Fire Nation, playing pranks and going on shopping sprees. Katara would drag her to a spa and she'd come out feeling fresh and girly and happy. She and Zuko would go for a walk around the temple and end up sparring because they'd insulted each other's manliness. But she missed the times they'd all sit together around a big fire, chuckling and drinking Zuko's terrible tea and eating Katara's hearty meals. Just being together, happy and free.

But now they were rebuilding, now they had to really be adults.

Toph hated all of it.

_No,_ she thought, _I just haven't gotten used to it._


	7. Chapter 7

"Wow," Katara observed, "Toph you're getting so much better!"

The water bender stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed and lips turned up in a proud smile as she watched her blind friend flex. Toph was _standing_. She was really standing by herself! She wasn't getting sick and her fever had dropped enormously. The color returned to her face and she was smiling again.

Toph stretched out her spine and pulled her arms back, flexing them as much as humanly possible. "I know," she replied happily, "I feel brand-new!"

Katara nodded and said, "And I didn't have to blood bend you. Whatever 'it' was, your immune system handled it."

"Yep," the earth bender responded, puffing her chest out and hitting it with her fists, "Good old immune system. You think it has something to do with my healthy coating of earth?"

For good measure, she rubbed her arms and let a small wisp of dust fall off of her.

The water bender rolled her eyes, replying laughingly, "No, Toph."

Toph reached up to feel her face and asked, "Hey, Katara? What's this?"

Katara approached her and looked at where her friend was pointing. Right on Toph's chin was a ripe, angry red blemish, shining yellow in the center of it.

It was a pimple.

"Oh, that's just a pimple. Everyone gets them." Katara explained.

"A pimple? I've heard of those, but I never actually got one. What are they exactly?" The earth bender asked, poking at the little bubble on her skin.

The water bender pulled her hand away, saying, "Don't touch it. Pimples come from dirt trapped under the skin. It's best to let them pass."

Toph pursed her lips, saying, "So they can't be healed."

"Not really. They aren't injuries." Katara replied.

Toph slumped her shoulders. Maybe she didn't know what she looked like, but she didn't like the idea of a painful blemish invading her face.

"Do you have any, Katara?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, _you_, you dum-dum."

"Well, yes. I've gotten my fair share of acne. Thankfully, most of them are completely gone."

Toph groaned, "More will come?"

Katara settled a hand on her shoulder, "It's probably just because you were bedridden and didn't bathe properly. How about we get you cleaned up and we'll take a walk around the city."

Toph shrugged, "Will Sparky be there? I haven't heard from him in nearly two days."

The water bender's heart rate boomed at the reference to the Fire Lord. Toph raised her eyebrows and inquired, "Problems in paradise, eh Sugar Queen?"

Katara snorted, "What paradise?"

"You mean like…you and Sparky aren't a thing?" Toph asked.

The water bender's heart pounded so hard Toph thought it might leap out her chest and run away.

"No," the brunette answered bitterly.

Toph actually held back a gasp. "What? Since when? I thought since the banquet you guys have been all googly-eyed at each other."

Katara's voice was mad, broken, "So I didn't talk to him right away after what happened. A few days, a week or two. I was busy taking care of you! I…I didn't have an answer for him."

The blind girl rubbed her arms and replied awkwardly, "Whoa. Sounds like you messed up, Sweetness."

Katara growled, "It wasn't me! He just overreacted! He said that what we did was a mistake and unprofessional and that I should forget all about it because, get this—_he already did."_

Toph gasped. "Whoa. Zuko is mad, then. He's never that rude to you."

"I know!" Katara retorted, "He thinks I don't really have feelings for him. That's not even close to being true!"

"Should I talk to him?" Toph offered.

"No," Katara answered vehemently. "He can be a brooding pig-chicken as long as he wants. I'm not suffering because of his conflicting emotions."

Toph furrowed her eyebrows when she felt a third pair of feet shuffle just outside the door to her suite. The individual's heart rate sounded, well, devastated.

"You shouldn't have said that." Toph whispered. She listened to the mysterious feet charge away, aggravated. She didn't tell Katara that it was Zuko.

* * *

She pulled the silky dress over her shoulders and experimented with the ties. Crossing them over, pulling them down, and trying to keep them in place. She'd just taken a lovely, warm bath with what she believed was moon peach-scented salts. She normally wasn't much of a clean freak, but after she'd gotten sick, she decided that maybe it was best to indulge herself—for the sake of her health.

"Ugh!" She grunted, yanking at the ties, "Katara. Come help me!"

Sweetness's footsteps entered the room and she said with a smile, "Of course. Let's see."

Toph could feel her friend's hands near her lower breast line as she tied the robes together. There was a small part of her that wondered.

"Hey, Sugar Queen?"

"Yes?"

'What's sex really like?"

Katara seemed taken aback by the question. She stepped back from Toph, with her heart rate slowly rising.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'? I mean, what is sex like?" Toph nearly exclaimed. Damn, Sugar Queen could be such an air head.

Katara raised her eyebrows and rubbed her arms, trying to think of the right words to say. "Well…it depends. Sex is the union of two bodies. But lovemaking, on the other hand, is the union of two lovers. It's pleasurable, but it's beautiful and romantic at the same time."

Toph pondered over this for a moment. "Did you and Twinkle toes ever…"

Katara shook her head. "Are you serious? Aang is a _monk._ We made out once and as I started to pull away at his clothes, he pushed me away and went to go meditate."

"Ouch." Toph replied.

"Tell me about it." The water bender said.

The blind girl asked cautiously, "What you and Zuko did…did that feel like lovemaking?"

Katara sighed, "I thought it did."

Toph asked, "Do you love him?"

The brunette didn't answer. Instead, her face grew hot and she turned away from her younger counterpart. "Just…put on your shoes and let's go, OK Toph?"

The blind girl had almost forgotten about their plan to walk around the capital to do some shopping. "Right, of course, just a sec." Toph responded. She reached for the small red shoes that sat on her bed and pushed her feet right through the soles. She wiggled her toes and giggled.

"These little piggies love the feeling of freedom."

Katara grabbed the young girl's arm and said, "C'mon. We don't have all day."

Toph yanked herself out of Katara's grasp, exclaiming, "OK! Yeesh! What's gotten your bindings in a twist?"

* * *

Summer was the best time to be in the Fire Nation's capital, Toph noted. Everything was bustling and alive and cool! Being a former enemy of the state, Toph hadn't ever been able to appreciate all the sights and sounds of it, but she could tell by the way everyone acted, it was a choice wonder to be in.

Just like the last time she and Aang had gone adventuring, there were sounds of vendors shouting, and bursts of fire echoing around her. There were men sweet talking pretty ladies into buying them drinks. Toph briefly recalled the young dancer who'd humiliated her in front of everyone in the banquet, but she dissolved the thought.

"Where are we going first?" She asked her water bending friend.

Katara sighed in thought and replied after a few moments, "Well, I wanted to go look at some scrolls. I've been rereading the same scrolls since forever. I wonder if they have any about previous earth kings?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Yeah, reading doesn't really do it for me."

"I'm sure we can find something for you to do there." The water bender replied.

The blind girl snorted. "Whatever."

Soon, Katara and Toph found themselves in a well-ventilated shop filled with dusty scrolls. Toph listened to her rustle about, sweet-talking to the cashier about prices, and asking her what she thought of several story-topics.

The blind girl resorted to sitting in the corner of the shop and crossing her legs. She grew bored of trying to listen to the cashier's heart rate, who by the way, was probably thinking he would get lucky with Katara that night.

She simply sat there, poking at her pimple just like Sweetness said not to.

After nearly ten minutes of Katara bickering with the man, the water bender approached Toph and nudged her with her foot.

"Let's go Toph." She said softly, "We're never coming back here again."

As they left, Toph smirked and listened to the cashier mumble something like, "Snarky bitch."

She made sure to root his feet into the cement floor, leaving him immobile. She chuckled as they walked into the streets.

Suddenly, she felt recurring vibrations tingle her feet. They grew closer and soon, she could hear music playing. Katara observed, "Hey, I think they're having a parade."

Listening to the quickly loudening music, Toph asked, "Who?"

The water bender shrugged, replying, "Don't know. It's just a bunch of guys dancing in the road. They're all playing instruments."

As the music grew louder, so did Toph's interest. She found herself subtly tapping her feet as she listened. Whoever they were, they weren't bad musicians. Toph realized that a large crowd formed around the winding roads, with people cheering them on and dancing to the beat.

Toph was surprised to hear one man open his mouth, revealing a burly and raspy voice as he sang,

_"Well, I've sailed around the world,_

_Let me tell you what I saw,_

_Got my share of seasoned girls_

_Even got a fist to my jaw,"_

The blind girl smirked at the sound of men in the crowd hooting and whistling, while the singer continued,

_"The autumn girl is a dream come true,_

_As the air blows her away,_

_Beautiful blue arrows are so taboo,_

_She'll make you get on your knees and pray,"_

_"A precious sight to behold is she_

_The shy and fair lady sky,_

_Sadly my dear, we rarely knew ye,_

_How heartbreaking I never said goodbye."_

A few more cheers from the audience.

_"The water maiden is an icy treat,_

_Big wide eyes like the ocean blue,_

_Don't ever invite her to your sheets,_

_She'll give ya a case of de ja vu!"_

Katara groaned, crossing her arms over her chest. Toph snickered.

_"She's cold and frosty and sugary good_

_Don't you ever dare break her heart,_

_Try and escape the freeze if you could,_

_'Cause she'll damn rip your bones apart!"_

Katara raised her eyebrows and growled, "What the hell? That is so discriminatory!"

Toph chuckled, "I get it, and they're going through the seasons."

_"I've got spring fever boys, let's dock,_

_At where the green clad gals go,_

_They're rather smart when they talk,_

_When I'm done with them love is all they'll know!"_

Katara poked Toph in the ribs, "Do you get it now?"

_"The Earth Kingdom is a place to get lost,_

_In all the lovely girls around,_

_And I'll find me a maiden at any cost,_

_She tries to jump up I'll pin her back down!"_

Top put her hands on her hips. "Well then."

_"There are girls here making my blood boil,_

_The Fire Nation has its lucky share,_

_She's like a rope, around you she coils_

_Damn, I think we'd make a fine pair,"_

A few women in the audience shouted, "Sexist!"

_"She's fiery hot inside and out,_

_She's got the attitude to match!_

_The fire of her skin leaves you devout,_

_Chicks back home are quite a catch, eh?"_

More women booed him, but the men were going wild and cheering.

The rest of the song was a medley of feet stomping and a Tsungi horn solo. The parade passed by quickly, and Toph was left standing next to Katara while the rest of the crowd dissipated. She let out a soft laugh. "OK, I see why you were mad."

The water bender started walking down the street with the blind one in tow, saying, "Are all men in the Fire Nation pig-chickens?"

The blind girl snorted. "What do you expect? Those are probably sailors who traveled during the war. I'm surprised they didn't make any more references to sex."

Katara replied, "They didn't even swear. Don't sailors do that?"

Toph responded matter-of-factly, "Sparky and Iroh sailed around the world for what, three years, and they haven't exactly developed a habit for cussing."

The two benders grinned. "OK, _Iroh_ hasn't developed a habit of cussing. Sparky on the other hand…" The younger girl laughed.

The water bender cleared her throat, pulling her through the market place. "How about we get some lunch?"

Toph nodded, "Good idea. After two weeks of barely any food, I think I'm ready to keel over."

Katara smiled and said, "What're you in the mood for?

The blind girl scoffed, "Meat. Duh!"

The water bender curled her fingers of Toph's arm and dragged her along. "Suki and I came across this one restaurant owned by a guy from the Northern Water Tribe. His sea prunes are amazing!"

Toph grimaced, "I said meat, not the vomit of demons."

Katara ignored her jab and responded, "His meat is good too."

The blind girl smirked, "Sweetness." She replied.

* * *

The owner of the restaurant was an elderly man, possibly in his seventies. As far as Toph could tell, he was healthy and strapping for his age. His name was Nooka. He talked animatedly to Katara, bonding with her as they were joined by their sister tribes. He complimented her on necklace and asked if she were engaged. Katara played the shy maiden, blushing and insisting that she wasn't quite ready for that.

Nooka spoke kindly to Toph, saying that he'd heard all about her skills as a metal bender. He praised her hard work and she appreciated the fact that he didn't comment on the pimple on her chin.

When it came time to order the food, he sat them down in the best seats in the house: next to the window, overlooking a lovely and breathtaking lake. It was too bad Toph couldn't see it. He offered them the special of the house: baked arctic hen with a side of rice and ginger sauce. Katara ordered it but Toph wanted something a little heartier.

"Got any lion-seal?" She asked.

Nooka replied with a chuckle, "Yes. We serve seal steaks the size of your head—bigger even."

Toph grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Get me the biggest one you got."

The old man sputtered, genuinely shocked. "My…my dear, the biggest one we have weighs over three pounds."

Toph clapped her hands, "You heard me. Giant seal steak, please."

Katara cleared her throat, worriedly stating. "That can't be good for your heart. And even then, are you sure you can finish it?"

The blind girl scoffed, "Are you doubting my skills as a professional eater?"

The water bender raised an eyebrow, stating, "Oh, you're a professional 'eater' now? No one knows what that is!"

Toph replied, "Nooka, my steak. Chop-chop."

Katara slapped her forehead with her palm. "At least order some vegetables with it."

Nooka waddled away to retrieve their food. Katara leaned over the table and asked in a harsh whisper, "Are you mad? A steak that big can kill you!"

Toph grinned smugly. "I survived a lot in my sixteen years, Sugar Queen. A slab of seal meat can't hurt me."

The water bender groaned, saying, "You'll be too full to eat dinner once we get back to the palace."

The younger girl rolled her eyes, complaining, "You're always underestimating me, Katara."

Katara narrowed her eyes at her, retorting, "I'm not underestimating you. I just think it's stupid to put your life on the line for a steak!"

Toph shoved a hand into her face, saying firmly, "Enough. I am eating that steak and showing you how much of a priss you're being."

The brunette rolled her eyes and commented, "You're way too proud for your own good."

"Yeah, yeah," Toph replied nonchalantly, "I'm a puffed up, self-aggrandizing Earth Kingdom heiress. I get it."

Katara sighed. "That's not what I meant."

Before Toph could reply, a younger male approached them a little too excitedly. He carried one platter containing Katara's arctic hen.

"Thank you…." The water bender said.

The young man nodded and winked, "You can call me Ahpe."

Katara raised her eyebrow at him and glared. Ahpe's eyes zeroed in on her necklace, and assuming it meant she was off-limits, turned to Toph.

"How are you this fine….oh, _wow._" He said, clearing his throat awkwardly.

Toph snarled, "What?"

"Nothing…ahem…your order will be up in a minute, ma'am." He stuttered, before dashing away.

The blind girl propped her elbow onto the table, cradling her cheek in her hand. "It's the pimple, isn't it?"

Katara shrugged, "It's not that bad."

Toph kicked her leg from underneath the table. "Don't lie to me."

"OK," Katara said, "It's a bad pimple."

The blind girl frowned. "Well, it's not like I'm interested anyways."

The water bender started to pick at her food, chewing thoroughly. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she exclaimed, "This is awesome, Toph. You got to try it."

"No thanks, Sweetness. Got to save room for that steak."

"You're missing out." Katara rejoined, dipping a piece of chicken in the ginger sauce.

After a few moments of silent eating, the brunette looked up at Toph and said, "So, Toph. You haven't told me about your school lately. How's everything going?"

The blind girl replied excitedly, "Well, my students have excelled monumentally this past year. I think they're actually practicing more, or harder, I don't really care which. I had this one student, though, named Ona, who insisted that I wasn't being challenging enough."

Katara chuckled, "Let me guess, one of those snobby smart asses?"

Toph snorted, "Wasn't so snobby when I got through with him. I stuck him in a six inch thick cell made completely of iron. The baby couldn't even bend a dent in the walls. In the end, he was blubbering his eyes out."

The water bender wiped her lips. She replied, "That's what happens when you question Sifu Beifong's methods."

The blind girl smirked, saying, "Damn straight."

Ahpe came back carrying an enormous platter, and looked like he was struggling to hold it up. "Here's your order, ma'am." He offered, settling the steak in front of Toph.

Toph rubbed her hands together in anticipation and said, "Finally."

Immediately, she picked the steak up with her bare hands and started to rip off chunks off it with her teeth.

Ahpe watched in disgust, as did many patrons. Katara watched with keenness. Could she pull it off?

* * *

Nearly half an hour later, after Katara had finished her food, ordered a dessert of fruit tarts with tea, and gone to the restroom, Toph finished her last bite of steak and wiped her hands on the table cloth. She belched unashamedly and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Boom." She stated simply.

The restaurant and everyone in it erupted into an applause, leaving Katara dumbfounded and Toph looking quite self-satisfied.

When they paid their bill and ambled out of the establishment, the brunette turned to her friend and exclaimed, "That was amazing! You sure you feel OK?"

Toph snorted, "I feel perfectly sweet."

Katara, relieved, fell into a comfortable silence until Toph poked her shoulder.

"One more thing, Sugar Queen."

The moment the water bender turned to look at her, Toph burped into her face. Katara cringed backwards and shouted, "Ew, TOPH!"

Toph laughed, "That's for not believing in me."

"You little snot!" Katara yelled.

Toph just laughed some more. "Where are we headed now?"

The water bender groaned. She responded, "A perfume shop. Then back to the palace. We've been out here all day."

The blind one stated, "I hate perfume. It clogs up my senses and gives me migraines."

Katara rolled her eyes. "_You_ give me migraines, Toph."

The earth bender shrugged, smirking. "Tough, Sweetness. If you're happy then I ain't doin' my job right."

The water bender just huffed in response. "You are so obnoxious. I think I'm going to write that letter to Sokka when we get back, just so I don't have to put up with you anymore."

Toph didn't let Katara know that what she just said actually left her a bit hurt. Instead, she furrowed her thin eyebrows together and stayed obediently silent for the rest of the trip.

By the time they finally reached the palace, the both of them were exhausted. It was nearing sunset, and Toph's feet felt sore and swollen. Katara rubbed a finger to her temple and sighed, "Ugh. I'm sweating buckets. I'm going to take a bath."

"You do that, Katara," Toph replied, going boneless in a sofa chair. "Damn, this thing is comfy. Why doesn't Sparky ever sit around in these?"

"Because he's too busy leading a country." Came Zuko's raspy voice.

Toph sensed his heart rate. It was high, but it seemed like he was trying to keep it under control. Of course, Katara's heart was also pounding a mile a minute. She realized that they'd locked eyes.

"Hey, Sparky. How was your day?" Toph asked, being uncharacteristically considerate.

Zuko responded without letting go of Katara's eyes. "Wanted to electrocute myself, same as usual."

"That's unfortunate," the blind girl said empathically, "We went shopping and we ate at this Northern Water Tribe joint. I ate a 3-pound slab of meat."

Zuko crossed his arms over his abdomen, "That's nice, champ. Did it come from a _pig-chicken?"_

Toph could hear the soft, almost inaudible intake of breath from Katara's mouth. _You're cornered, Sweetness, _she thought.

Katara's heartbeat was booming like thunder. The blind girl could practically hear her blood pulsing in her veins. She deduced that the brunette probably wanted to cry. Her breathing was labored, but she said nothing to Zuko.

The Fire Lord exhaled heavily and said, "You're feeling better Toph, that's great. I guess we won't need a healer for you anymore."

At that cold stab, Katara's breath hitched. Without making a sound, besides a little whimper, she fled the room. Toph listened to her footsteps fade and she turned to the scarred man with a sneer,

"You didn't have to say that." She chastised.

Zuko snorted, "Didn't I? Let her hurt a little."

Toph narrowed her eyes at him and pointed a finger in his direction. "You're never nasty with Katara. All you ever do is try to please her. What the Hell happened?"

The Fire Lord growled, "She's 'unsure' of our relationship. I waited years, Toph. YEARS! I thought what happened in that back room was just affirmation. Turns out I was wrong about her. _Again."_

The blind girl walked up to him and punched his gut. "That's not the case, you moron! She's just scared!"

"Of what?" Zuko retorted, rubbing the area where she hit him.

"You, you big dolt!" Toph shouted.

That seemed to shut him up. Zuko's heartbeat was loud, and his breathing was uneven. He took a step back.

"Why…why is she afraid of me?" He asked, voice low.

"Not necessarily of you…just what might happen. You're Fire Nation, she's Water Tribe. There was a big 100 year to-do about racial discrimination, in case you missed it." Toph retorted, her milky blue eyes blindly fixated on him.

Zuko raised his eyebrow. "She's afraid of what people will think of us?"

"And she's scared that it might come between you and her. If you guys were to break up, you know how torn apart she'd be? She nearly cried when she told me about you guys' fight." The blind girl answered.

The Fire Lord stood there, heart rate returning to normal. He sighed. Toph could hear the embarrassment in his voice, "I should go apologize." As he turned to leave, Toph gripped his arm and advised, "Not yet. Let her stew for a day or so. If you go after her now she'll only try to kill you."

Zuko felt himself blush a little. "Yeah, I don't want to die."

"Smart." Toph offered, pulling him into another hall. "Let's have some tea!" She shouted excitedly.

The Fire Lord let himself be dragged, not telling her that they were going the wrong way.

* * *

Katara immersed herself in her element, slowly descending into the hot water until her nose was in danger of getting wet.

It was already wet, unfortunately.

The brunette usually never cried when she was bathing. For some reason, she never found herself able to shed tears when there was already so much water around her. But now was hardly a time to think about that. Katara closed her lids as the tears poured like rain down her face. She didn't sob, she didn't yell, she didn't do anything but sit in the bath tub and think.

Maybe she deserved it. Perhaps she'd already sealed the fate of their relationship when she made the promise that she couldn't keep.

_"We're going to talk about this, right?" His voice was unsure, but hopeful. _

_"Of course." She said, also unsure. But it was a lie. _

Funny thing was, he was never the type to hurt at her on purpose. Wasn't Zuko the one always saving Katara?

Katara tried to think of a time when he wasn't important to her. Back when she was a fourteen year old, naïve girl frolicking around with the Avatar and her brother. Back when Zuko's only motive was to capture Aang. Before things got complicated. Before Ba Sing Se. Before Zuko started jumping in the path of danger only to add to her longevity.

Before he loved her.

Katara couldn't help but choke back a sob, pulling her head out of the water. She loved him too. Tui and La, she loved him so much. She pressed her hands over her face and cried, her chest heaving as an invisible pain clenched her heart and squeezed till she couldn't breathe.

She cried with total abandonment. She didn't care if one of the servants walked in on her. Koh take them all! This was the first time in months she'd been able to grieve properly. She could feel the water vibrating around her, sloshing gently around the edges of the tub. Was she crying that hard? Katara didn't notice. Her entire inner being slammed against her inner abdominal wall. She shook uncontrollably.

When she finally felt empty, by then the water had gone cold, she heaved her naked form out and wrapped herself in a red bath robe. Feeling a lot better since her cry, she walked out of the bathroom and forced her tired legs to the desk beside the window and planted herself in the seat. She pulled out a quill and dipped the tip in ink. She pressed it against an outstretched piece of papyrus.

"Dear Sokka,"

* * *

Toph slurped at her jasmine tea as Zuko sat there, brooding. The blind girl pulled the porcelain cup from her lips and asked,

"Anything new going on?"

The Fire Lord chuckled, "Like I said, I want to kill myself—everything is stressful."

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Hey, if you ever need backup during an advisor's meeting, just call me in." She formed a fist in one hand, "They won't know what hit 'em."

The man laughed and reached to pour himself some tea. "Maybe you could be an Earth Kingdom ambassador?"

"Hell yeah," the blind girl agreed, "Sparky and Toph, imagine the possibilities!"

Zuko smiled as he sipped his beverage, "That would mean getting rid of Commander Ling. He's the current Earth Kingdom Ambassador"

Toph held up her cup and proclaimed, "No one will find his body."

The scarred man snorted, "Whoa, Toph, we're just messing around."

The blind girl sneered, "You're no fun, Sparky."

Zuko scoffed, "I'm plenty of fun, got it?"

Toph laughed, "Ha! You're about as entertaining as grass."

The Fire Lord grumbled, "At least I can see grass."

The earth bender flicked a booger at him.

Zuko grimaced, pulling back, "Ew, Toph. Why'd you do that?"

Toph coughed as she chuckled, "Because it makes you mad."

The man raised his eyebrow and watched as Toph continued to cough. "Uh…you OK?"

The blind girl doubled over in her seat and slammed a fist on her chest. "I can't…I can't breathe!" She managed to sputter before falling out of her seat.

Zuko heaved himself out of his chair, shouting, "Toph!"

The earth bender lay on the carpet, feeling her chest lock, contracting. Where was the air going? _No come back!_ Her brain shouted. She reached up to grasp the edge of the table, dragging her nails across the wood. She coughed painfully as Zuko approached her and cradled her head in his large hands.

"Champ…champ, stay with me!" He yelled, "Help! Servants! Anyone!"

Her throat closed up for a few moments, leaving her unable to breathe. She reached up and blindly clawed at his face. "I…I..." She whimpered.

In moments, a set of extra hands picked her up and started to carry her. Toph regained her ability to breathe for a moment, crying, "Zuko!"

His voice was right next to her, "We're moving you to the infirmary, Toph. You'll be OK!"

Whether it was a second later or two hours later, Toph couldn't tell. She could feel herself being poked and prodded at by someone. She had a lump in her throat so big she couldn't talk. She whined wordlessly, extracting a cough from her trachea.

"I'm just a nurse, Miss Beifong. Calm down or you'll hurt yourself."

Toph writhed in the bed, coughing more. Zuko's voice sounded,, worried, "Do what she says."

The nurse continued her examination and Toph could hear her whispering to the Fire Lord.

"It's worse than we thought. This isn't just any regular flu; it came back with a vengeance."

Someone burst through the door and Toph nearly choked on her shock when a voice breathed in panic,

_"Epidemic."_

* * *

**Hey, readers! Before I say anything, let me just thank all of my devout reviewers—you guys rock! As for those who just favorite or follow a story without telling the author how you feel about the story, well, thanks anyways. I'd rather get a written explanation but you know…**

**And now I can say that I was just on my Tumblr today….and my God Almighty our fandom is just the most amazing ever. It doesn't matter that we're all insane or just border-line crazed, we're still the best. Especially the Zutarians. Long live Zutara! It has the most beautiful fan art. **

**Today's fic featured an original set of lyrics from yours truly. I know they suck, they were meant to. And all the Zutara feels…I'm like crying. This is just the best ship that ever existed, OK? I love writing it so much. /creys. I feel kind of bad that I have to make them angry and upset with each other, but it's drama and I love drama. Some consider me the Queen of Drama. I totally accept that title. I am the Queen of Drama and you gotta DEAL WITH IT!**


	8. Chapter 8

The world outside was chaos.

From her bed in the now crowded infirmary, Toph listened to the low moans and occasional cries that permeated through the air. She was sick, gravely sick for more than seventeen hours now. Her body was cold, so unnaturally cold despite the summer heat. Then when a nurse covered her with a blanket, she would grow sweaty and kick the sheet off of her bed. That would lead to more shivers.

Aside from temperature, Toph's body was sore. Her bones were weak and her muscles sore for no reason. Every limb felt extraordinarily heavy. It hurt to move her neck. She lay back in an uncomfortable cot and her neck was poorly propped up on a thin pillow.

Laying in her bed, shivering and coughing and whimpering, Toph tried to recall what had happened last night. She'd recovered wonderfully from the bug that had kept her bedridden for nearly a week and a half, and then she went shopping with Katara, and she came back to the palace. And then she got worse. She collapsed on the ground and her breath seized in her chest. And then she was here, where Zuko watched over her. She remembered with crippling fear what a servant had come in saying,

_"Epidemic."_

That made Zuko _and _the nurse's heartbeats nearly stop before accelerating. Toph tried to ask, panicked, "What epidemic? Who else is sick?!"

The Fire Lord simply brushed off her question and muttered something to the nurse before charging out of the room.

Toph couldn't believe it. An epidemic? Surely that meant many people in the Fire Nation were sick. Had she gotten them all ill? When? For hours now, she wondered if it had happened during the banquet. Who did she come in contact with? Nearly everybody who was there.

She squeezed her eyes shut in the realization that she may have doomed everyone she knew and loved. And she knew it was 'doom', because a dozen more sick individuals were brought into the infirmary; all of them were servants in the palace. She recollected hearing Yoko's voice as she whimpered while the nurses tried to help her.

The young servant-girl took her last breath in the bed beside Toph's.

It drove the blind girl to madness because she knew it was her fault that Yoko was dead. The poor girl was her valet for the visit and she made her handle her clothing, which were probably laden in her diseased cells.

The worst part about it was not truly knowing why she was sick. One nurse, Gina, told Zuko it was 'a flu with a vengeance'. But if Toph had given Yoko the disease, then surely she could have given it to her friends, to Shang, to Yao.

Yao's name echoed in her mind. _Dear Spirits,_ she breathed. Could it have spread? If Yao caught the flu, then King Kuei may have caught it. If Kuei died, there would be complete rampage in the Earth Kingdom.

All because of one careless earth bender.

"Zuko!" She writhed in her bed, shouting. Despite the soreness in her throat, she continued to scream her friend's name until someone came rushing to her. It was Gina. She pressed a calming hand on Toph's forehead and whispered, "What is it, Miss Beifong?"

The blind girl jerked her head back, causing a painful spasm to shoot up through her neck muscles.

"I have to talk to the Fire Lord." She whimpered. She had to tell him what was going on. If this disease went beyond the Fire Nation, it would turn into a global pandemic. A _deadly_ one.

Gina gently replied, "He's in a meeting, Miss Beifong. I'll tell him you called."

Toph shook her head vehemently, tears springing from her eyes, "No, it's my fault. I killed everyone!"

Suddenly, Gina's warm hands recoiled from her head and she said gravely, "I don't know what you mean, but maybe it'll help us sort this mess out."

With that, the nurse was gone and she was left to brood in her cot alone. She ignored the sounds of the other sickly patients. She simply cried with them.

* * *

When she woke up next, there was a big hand cradling her own. Her eyes fluttered open, but of course, there was no sight to behold. She squeezed the hand and felt a twitch. A smile formed on her lips despite the pain and she whispered,

"Sparky."

"Hey, champ. How are you feeling?" Came his reply.

"Bad. Very, very bad." She whined.

"I'm sorry," Zuko simply chuckled and patted her hand. He leaned in close and whispered, "Gina told me you …killed everyone? Care to explain?"

Toph closed her eyes and cleared her throat, trying to rid it of the mounds of phlegm. Swallowing a gross amount of it, she said,

"I got sick the night of the banquet, right? I interacted with a lot of people. And…I kissed three people. Shang, Yao and…."

Realization spread over her face and shot through her heart. "…Aang!" She screeched.

Zuko raised his eyebrows and sternly asked, "You're telling me that Aang, and Yao are sick too?"

Toph felt hot tears well in her eyes and she growled, "I've killed the Avatar. Koh take me now!"

The Fire Lord patted her hand and muttered, "We don't know that, Toph."

Toph panicked, "I probably got Sokka and Suki and Katara and you sick, as well. What have I done?"

Zuko took her by her shoulders and shook her, nearly shouting, "Calm down! We don't know that! I'll write to the other nations and have someone locate Aang. We'll figure this out, but for now, the Fire Nation has been quarantined. All ships and vessels already commissioned were commanded to remain at sea until I give the signal."

The blind girl was flabbergasted. "…How many people are sick?"

The man sighed. Before he could answer, a bloodcurdling shriek erupted in the air. Another servant took their dying breath.

At the sound, Toph clenched her eyes shut and bit down on her tongue. _Spirits, make it go away,_ she begged mentally.

Zuko called to a nurse and ordered the removal of the body. He turned back to his friend and said honestly, "Many, Toph. In this short period, more than seventy bodies are racked up in the capital alone."

The earth bender shook her head. "What in Kyoshi's name is happening?!" She nearly cried.

The Fire Lord grasped her hand again and murmured, "This is way too devastating for one person to have caused. I don't think you were the sole carrier of the disease. In fact, this whole dilemma started during the week of the banquet. There were droves of visitors and immigrants coming in from the Earth Kingdom. It could have been passed from one person to the next. Unfortunately, you caught it as well."

Toph sniffed, unashamedly wiping her nose on a sleeve. "What about you? What about Katara?"

Zuko stiffened. He replied coldly, "Katara refuses to be treated. She's been suffering from headaches and a sore throat for a few hours now but…she wants to help everyone else."

The blind girl shut her eyes and exhaled, "I got her sick."

The Fire Lord shrugged, saying, "She's a healer, she'll figure this out. I sent out a letter to Chief Arnook via messenger hawk—to send more healers."

Toph pursed her lips. Zuko looked at her, confused. "Do you want me to send a letter to someone?" He asked helpfully.

The blind girl nodded slowly, replying, "Yes. I live with an older lady named Anzu. She's probably freaking out. I told her I'd be back in two weeks. How long has it been?"

The Fire Lord replied, "Almost four."

"Wow," she responded, "OK, yeah, tell her that I've been held up and I shouldn't be long—oh, and my students! How will they know? They're probably having a field day because of all the time off."

Zuko felt a small laugh erupt from his mouth. "And…what about your family?" The earth bender scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. The man could deduce her answer just from her body language.

"Oh, c'mon, Champ. I'm sure they'll want to know if their child is bedridden in a Fire Nation infirmary." He said, grasping her hand again.

The girl muttered, "They can still produce an heir. My mother's still young."

The fire bender rolled his eyes, exasperated. "That is not what I meant," he grumbled, "They care for you, Toph. They love you!"

Toph shouted, unable to take it anymore, "They baited me in Ba Sing Se and had bounty hunters capture me! They never let me leave the estate. They thought I was too weak to get around on my own because I was born blind!"

The Fire Lord sighed, reaching for her, but she yanked away, nearly launching herself out of bed. Her voice cracked as she spoke, "They are deceitful and piteous! I want nothing to do with them anymore!"

With that, she felt a familiar and unpleasant tug in her throat and erupted into a painful fit of coughing. Zuko sighed in defeat and moved to pick up a pitcher of water. As he poured her a cup, he apologized,

"I'm sorry, Champ. I didn't mean to get you riled up."

Toph covered her mouth and tried to calm her body. As she did, she waved his words and mumbled, "Whatever, just get Katara here soon."

The Fire Lord nodded, despite his peaking heart rate. Toph raised an eyebrow, replying, "You still mad at Sugar Queen?"

Zuko shook his head, "I can't afford to be. The survival of my country rests in her hands."

The blind girl pressed, "She wasn't able to heal me. That's why I'm worse."

The Fire Lord was silent, pondering over her statement, before saying firmly, "She'll have to blood bend."

Toph scoffed, "She won't. She has some sort of honor code against it."

Amid the soft whimpers of ailing patients came Katara's vehement voice, "You're damn right I do."

Zuko's heart sped up again and he turned to her. Toph could hear the soft scratchiness in her friend's voice.

Zuko muttered, "It should also be against your honor code to let innocent people die."

The water bender spat, "You know that isn't my intention."

The Fire Lord let out a dry chuckle, "Oh really?"

"Yes, really," the girl replied angrily, "Blood bending is a demonic art and I will never use it again."

Zuko shot up from his seat beside Toph and took Katara by her upper arms. He must have grabbed her hard because Katara whined,

"Zuko, you're hurting me! Let me go!"

The man growled, "Let me put this in perspective for you, _water bender."_

Said water bender tried to yank herself away from him but his grip was far too strong.

The Fire Lord dragged her across the room and stopped in front of one cot, stating gravely,

"This is Shenzi. You see that swelling under the blanket? She's pregnant. Because of your stubbornness, she and the baby will perish. And-"

Despite Katara's protests, he pulled her across the room and stopped in front of another cot and said coldly, "This is Ping. He has four mouthes to feed, and a wife, Katara. You want to pay for their funeral processions? Their livelihood if Ping dies?"

The girl whimpered and tried to tell Zuko something but the man took her to yet another cot and declared, "And this is Ch'ien Po. He's one of the servants' sons. He's two years old, Katara. You see the dried stuff under his nostrils? His airways are so dried out that his body's trying to lubricate them with blood! You want him to die because of your pathetic moral code?"

The water bender held back tears, staring at the little patient. A knot formed in her chest as she studied the tiny boy's frame. He was so pale and sickly and frail. She turned to Zuko and whimpered,

"OK."

Toph could hear the entire conversation from her spot and closed her eyes in relief when Katara finally relented. _Thank the spirits_, she thought, _we might just make it out alive._

* * *

Hours later, Toph listened to Katara directing multiple nurses to help her out with the patients. The water bender focused on the youngest and most vulnerable of the ill—the children, the pregnant and the elderly.

Katara moved to the next patient, her seventh that day, and pressed her fingers down against the older male's chest. She inhaled deeply and felt the magnetic pulsation of his slowly flowing blood. Her fingers tingled with the desire to command it. She slowly traveled through his veins, trying to detect the same pathogen she'd felt in Ch'ien Po and the others. She moved through his heart, trying to cleanse the blood rushing into the barely pumping muscle. Noticing that his arteries were healthy enough, she moved into his lungs. She noticed the amount of the fluid was building up there, most of it phlegm and mucus.

The elder let out a heavy cough. Katara felt his lungs vibrating, the fluids sloshing inside the tissue. She worked meticulously, bending the fluids from his lungs, carrying it through his blood vessels, and then emptying the lungs again, before circulating the blood through his system once more.

Her head started to pound and her stomach growled. Gina pressed a cold, wet rag against Katara's temple. The water bender sighed at the feeling of cool relief there. Had she been sweating? She had no idea.

"OK, Kamu," she said to the older man, "I need you to breathe in and out slowly for me. If you feel a cough coming, tell me."

The patient complied. As he inhaled and exhaled as best he could, Katara gently pressed her fingertips into his sides and redirected the current of blood towards his thoracic region, namely his heart. As long as she got enough oxygen there, the gas exchange between the blood and lungs would be successful and his breathing problems would disappear. Not overnight, of course, but at least he would live.

Zuko watched her as she sweat, demanded, and miraculously healed the patients. How insane that something so dangerous and demonic could also save lives? What was Katara so afraid of?

Katara finished up with Kamu and leaned back in her seat, breathing heavily. She looked over at the Fire Lord and panted, "I don't have enough energy to keep going today. I need some rest and then I'm going back to work. I'll have to follow up on Kamu here as well as the other two for the next few days."

The young man nodded eagerly and helped her out of the chair, saying gratefully, "You don't understand how much this means to me, Katara. Thank you."

The Water Tribe girl shrugged, "It's no trouble."

Zuko leaned in to kiss her, but Katara pulled away. She explained sadly, "Let's make it out of this, first."

The man nodded, blushing. "Yes," he replied, "Of course. You go rest."

The water bender obeyed, scurrying off. Zuko sighed as he watched her go. What would he do without her?

* * *

The next few days were a blur for Toph. The sounds of people commanding her to sit up and eat or breathe mingled with the feeling of Katara's hands on her abdomen and chest. It was amazing, that much she remembered. It was unpleasant, at first. The more she tried to extract the phlegm from her lungs, the more Toph coughed. But Katara had told her that it was helpful when she did. Within an hour, the blind girl's sinuses and throat were nearly cleared up. Toph was in euphoria when she was able to breathe in and out semi-normally.

She didn't feel so weak anymore; her debilitating stomach aches and migraines occurred far less and her body actually took in more fluids and foods. The harder Katara worked, the better she felt. And she could hear similar responses from the patients all around. Previously bedridden, ailing patients were now animatedly talking and smiling and eating again. No one was dying. And Katara continued her rounds, bending the blood and fluids of everyone in the infirmary.

Zuko approached Toph's cot one evening and said happily, "She's curing them."

The blind girl smiled and replied, "She cured me, sort of. I feel so great."

The Fire Lord absent-mindedly responded, "She's so great."

Toph snapped her fingers, trying to get Zuko's attention. "Aren't new healers supposed to come in?"

"Very soon," Zuko quickly responded, "I just got a letter back from Chief Arnook. He's sending his best healers here immediately. If they get here in time we might just be able to save the entire Fire Nation, not just the capital. Hopefully they'll cooperate and learn to blood bend."

Agreeing, Toph noted, "One water bender can't do it alone."

There was a moment of silence before a certain bender's name crossed Toph's mind. She sat up in her cot, ignoring the vague soreness she felt in her back. She asked him,

"So…what about Kuei? The Earth Kingdom?"

Zuko sighed, "Now _that_ I'm not sure about. I sent letters by hawk and no answers yet. If there is an epidemic going on there we may have a world crisis to deal with."

Toph pondered over this. From the way it sounded, the Water Tribes were not affected. But she had a strong gut feeling that the Earth Kingdome was surely going to undergo what the Fire Nation had.

"And nothing from Aang, huh?" She asked. She didn't expect a positive answer.

Zuko slumped his shoulders, replying, "No. But you know the Avatar; he's always flying around on Appa and stuff. Maybe he hasn't come in contact with the disease at all."

Toph settled into her pillow, replying, "We better hope so, for the world's sake."

"My Lord!" A distressed man's voice called. Zuko turned from his friend and approached the man.

"What is it?" He asked, sounding somewhat aggravated. Impending doom can do that.

The man responded, "It's worse than we thought, your Excellency."

Zuko asked, completely perturbed, "What do you mean?"

He replied, voice high, "The body count just rose to another added fifty, just in the capital. Agni knows how many have died on the other islands."

The fire bender staggered backwards, asking, "What?!"

"What do you want me to do, your Highness?"

"Vardha," Zuko started, "Tell the mayors—anyone you can get a hold of—to lockdown every city, every village. No more trades, nothing."

The man called Vardha protested, "But, sire, what will happen to the economy?"

Zuko shouted, "_Agni, man_! The entire country is in serious peril!"

Vardha nodded and replied begrudgingly, "Yes, sir." As he began to walk away, he said, "Oh, and sire?"

He handed the fire bender a small scroll of paper, wrapped neatly in a blue bow. Zuko recognized that blue ribbon from somewhere. Where though, he couldn't place it. Vardha said, "A servant collected it last week. Said it was supposed to be sent out then but since the outbreak, no one was able to send it."

Zuko took it cautiously, and making his way back to Toph's bed, he slowly started to unwrap the ribbon. As he sat down beside the blind girl, Toph asked, "I hear paper. What is that, Sparky?"

The man started to unfurl it, saying, "I think it's a letter."

"To you?" Asked the blind girl.

He ignored her question, gripping the parchment tighter in his hand as he read every word. Toph listened to his breath go shallow. "What? What does it say?"

Zuko chuckled dryly. He couldn't believe this. He opened his mouth and started to read,

_"Dear Sokka, I'm sure you already know it's me. Anyways, as you said, I should write to you the moment Toph gets better, and she has. She recovered amazingly, you should see her. She's on her feet and punching just like new. And I think I've exhausted my stay in the Fire Nation. I'm sending this letter out and following suit. I can't breathe here anymore. I don't think I want to come here ever again. Anyways, since this'll get to the South Pole before I do, give Dad and Gran-Gran hugs for me. And Pakku. Love, Katara."_

Zuko's mouth felt dry as he finished. He let the burn of his fingertips consume the paper, completely destroying the letter.

Toph's eyebrows shot upwards. "Whoa. Katara wrote that? When?"

The Fire Lord exhaled heavily. "My servant said it was written at least a week ago."

The blind girl deduced, "Well, that was after that fight you guys had. Maybe she wrote it then?"

He groaned, "She said she never wanted to come back. I've been a _fool."_

"No, you haven't," Toph reassured him, settling a hand on his arm, "She was just upset. I'm sure it was a 'spur of the moment' deal."

The ruler pulled away, saying, "I think I'm going to be sick."

The blind girl said, "C'mon Sparky, everything will be fine."

Zuko shook his head, clenching his stomach. "No, I don't feel…"

With that, he promptly regurgitated his stomach into Toph's lap. He coughed right afterwards. Toph couldn't see the vomit, but it felt unpleasantly warm and wet and sticky. Zuko grunted, saying, "I'm sorry, Champ."

The earth bender scrunched up her nose, and replied, "Spirits, Zuko! Have you gotten sick, too?"

Zuko tried to lighten up the situation, "Well if I did, we'd all be in trouble then, huh?"

"Spirits," an angry Toph retorted. She shouted, "Nurses! We've got a problem here!"

Soon, Toph's bed was cleaned and she was given clean sheets and clothing. And, after much persuading from the nurses' parts, Zuko was propped up in a cot, covered in a blanket. Toph giggled at his situation.

"I would bet the entire family fortune that you're sitting there pouting with your arms crossed." She snickered.

The Fire Lord grumbled, "You'd be right."

"No need to sass, Sparky." Toph replied.

The sound of Katara's fast feet were music to Toph's ears.

"Zuko? Don't tell me it got you too!" The water bender's tired but concerned voice rang in their ears.

The Fire Lord muttered something inaudible. Katara barely noticed, instead whipping out her water skin. She sighed, "The servants alerted me. Now, we can't have a sick Fire Lord, can we?"

The man retorted, "If it weren't for Toph getting sick, you wouldn't be here."

Katara moved her hands over his midsection but asked, "What?"

Zuko winced as she moved the fluids in his lungs. When he was able to speak again, he replied venomously, "What? You don't remember writing it all down?"

Katara pulled her hands away from his body and asked, "You mean the…letter I sent to Sokka?"

The man huffed, "I read it. You wrote it before all this started. You wanted to leave me."

Toph piped in matter-of-factly, "Well, actually, she said she wanted to leave the Fire Nation. She said nothing about you."

The fire and water benders both shot a "Shut up, Toph", at the blind girl. Said girl put her hands up in forfeit and lay back, listening.

"I wasn't trying to leave you," the water bender reassured, "I was just really mad. I thought you didn't want me around anymore."

Zuko sat obediently, feeling her magical fingers work his innards. He pondered over her words before replying quietly,

"I need you to stay here."

Katara moved her hands over his throat and warned, "This might hurt."

Toph listened to Zuko's breath seize and the bed underneath him writhe.

The water bender soothed him, moving a hand up to push his hair back,

"Shh. Is it better now?" She asked.

Zuko breathed shallowly. He gave her a weak nod before grasping Katara's free hand and pressing it against his lips.

Katara didn't pull away. Instead, she smiled at him and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Zuko."

The blind girl cleared her throat, trying to ignore the feeling of scratchy phlegm building up in her own throat.

"Yo, Sweetness and Sparky, not to ruin a magical moment or anything, but there are other patients here that need help."

"Right," Katara said with a soft chuckle. She gave an apologetic smile to the Fire Lord, who shrugged. She then tuned to Toph and said, "Alright, then. Let's see where we are with you."

Toph turned her head towards Zuko's direction and though she couldn't see, she was almost certain that he was smiling from ear to ear.

* * *

**Hi readers! How was that for a new chapter? I hope that satisfied your craving for now, because I'll be out of the country for a while. For nearly three months, you will get minimal updates, if any at all. I'm going to the Middle East, and before you assume that the reason I won't update is because it's nothing but a barren desert wasteland there (because it's NOT), I will be visiting friends and family alike. Us Middle Easterners have this thing about culture and family, and I'll be spending MOST of my time with family since a lot is going on there now. So, I'll update "Piece of Cake" and all my other open fics within the next week and then I'm out. **

**And if you're wondering, 'do they have Avatar there?', YES, they do. But it's dubbed in Arabic. Way less magical. **

**Anyhoo, this is the last update in a while. I'll see you all soon. Remember to review! And check out my deviantart, 'lamad'. K? Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**OK, so I lied. Thankfully, my relatives in Jordan have wifi so I have time to update. I read some of the reviews I got, and a lot of people were sad about me not continuing the story for a while so I typed this up. For you. Because I care. And yeah, they're serving dinner, so I'mma go stuff myself while you read this. Bye!**

* * *

For Toph Beifong, there was nothing like rolling around in the grass after weeks of incarceration in an infirmary. She buried her face in the prickly, dewy, mossy green ground and giggled in sheer pleasure. Oh, to be back outside! To feel at home, in her domain: the earth. She sniffed the grass and sneezed. She lay back and shouted, "I love the earth!"

"I know you do."

Toph's body snapped up as her mother's voice rang in her ears.

"Mom?" She asked, voice wary. She could feel her mother's heartbeat from her place on the ground.

Poppy Beifong's voice was soft and gentle. Motherly, even. "Yes, darling, it's me."

The blind girl curled her fingers into the grass and tugged. She snarled, "You finally decided to visit me?"

Her mother's footsteps came closer but the girl scampered away on her knees. "Don't come any closer!"

Poppy's voice was barely a whisper, "You're my little girl. Don't you love me, Toph?"

The younger Beifong felt her eyes tingle with tears. The corners of her moth quivered violently for some time as she tried to compose herself. "You don't trust me." She finally replied.

Poppy's feet edged closer, until she was finally beside her daughter. Toph's voice hitched when her soft hands settled on her shoulders and a kiss was planted on her forehead. "Of _course_ I do."

"Toph?"

Katara shook the blind girl's body, trying to awaken her. Toph groaned as she was stirred awake. The water bender smiled down at her and said, "You fell asleep in the garden. How like you."

The blind girl sat up and swallowed a lump in her throat. "I had a bad dream." She stated simply.

The older girl helped her onto her feet and said, "The ship to Yu Dao will dock soon. Let's get you packed."

Katara walked her friend into the palace and said, "You've been acting weird since you got better."

Toph allowed Katara to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You mean I've become a wimp? Yeah, I know."

The water bender rolled her eyes at her sensitivity. "You're not a wimp, Toph. All I'm saying is that you've become….well….softer."

The earth bender growled, "I hate being soft."

Katara shot back, "Men like soft."

Toph grinned, "I'm sure Zuko appreciates it."

The water bender's heart started to pound and she blushed. "He does."

Toph smiled proudly. Finally, Sparky and Sugar Queen had gotten together. After Katara healed the sick in the infirmary, Zuko took her and a large group of healers around the islands, performing miracles and saving lives. After it was over, and the Fire Lord lifted the quarantine ban off of the country, Katara returned to Caldera. The two benders realized what they meant to each other and for about two days now, they lived in complete and utter bliss.

Toph was proud because she saw the romance coming. And she helped piece it all together.

Now the two girls were in Toph's suite. Katara gathered the blind one's clothing and started to pack it all in her suitcase. The earth bender lay on her bed and picked at her ears.

"So….sex?" Toph started.

Katara raised her eyebrows, blushing. _"Huh?"_

"You and Zuko, I mean." Toph corrected. "Ew, did you think I was asking you…? Ew, Sugar Queen!"

Katara burst into a giggle, one of relief than of humor. When she composed herself, she tossed a dress into Toph's suitcase and sat on the edge of the bed. "All the time," she confessed with a smirk.

"….And?" Toph prompted. She knew it was a little perverted to pry about Zuko's sexual prowess, but some things just had to be made known.

Katara sighed in content. "He is so….passionate….and _really_ good. I get aroused just kissing him."

The earth bender grinned, nuzzling her face into a pillow. "Sounds like a keeper."

The water bender chuckled, saying, "And you? What are you planning on doing about…"

"Don't mention his name, Sweetness. I don't like to be reminded of him."

"Yao or Shang?"

"Damn you, Katara. Damn you to the farthest depths of Hell." Toph sneered.

Katara rolled her eyes, asking, "Whose name do you not want mentioned?"

The blind girl crossed her arms over her chest, replying, "Both."

The older girl sighed and retorted, "So you'd rather stay lonely for the rest of your life?"

The black haired girl said angrily, "Yao hates me. Shang is probably dead or in prison or some shit. I don't even care, OK? I'd rather be alone. Nothing has worked out for me since I tried to be romantic and girly. It's not my thing."

The blue eyed girl reached out to touch Toph's hand, saying, "Things might change. It doesn't have to be Yao or Shang."

The earth bender groaned, "Easy for you to say! You're probably gorgeous, having all the men we ever meet throw themselves at you. And you have an uber hot boyfriend who just so happens to be the leader of a nation."

The water bender gave up, sighing. Toph was far too stubborn and hot-headed to get too, especially when she was heartbroken.

The two sat in the room, packing and making small talk, until a servant waltzed in. Toph didn't like this particular replacement for Yoko, the servant girl who died of that killer flu. This new girl, Ming, was snobbish and did everything she wasn't supposed to _do. _She gave attitude to the authorities and Toph wasn't big on being disrespected.

Ming sauntered in as though she owned the palace, wearing the same red uniform that every other servant wore. She sighed with disdain upon seeing the two benders, droning, "Fire Lord Zuko would like you to join him in the dining room."

Toph heaved herself out of bed, saying, "It's about damn time we had something to eat."

Katara readily agreed, "I'm starving."

Ming said, "I think you two need to lay off the food a bit."

Katara glowered at the servant, whilst Toph picked her nose and flicked a booger at her. "You're still here? Go wash my clothes, woman!"

Ming simply turned her nose up with a 'hmph!' and strode out of the room, ignoring the jeers Toph continued to throw at her.

Katara groaned, "The nerve of that girl!"

The blind girl replied, "She has a big crush on Sparky."

The water bender's heart rate peaked and Toph sniggered, "Jealous?"

The older girl asked, baffled, "How do you know she likes him?"

The earth bender started walking towards the dining room, Katara in tow. She answered matter-of-factly, "Her voice pitch changed when she said, 'Fire Lord Zuko' and her heartbeat got louder as she started talking. She's nervous around you, especially, because you're his girlfriend."

Katara giggled. "I love being called that."

"What? Girlfriend?" Toph replied.

The water bender nodded giddily. The blind girl chuckled, responding, "You're so shallow."

"….You know," Toph started, clearly annoyed as Katara and Zuko muttered and whispered and giggled over the table.

She listened to them gushing to each other. "I realize you guys have been chasing each other for a while now…"

Zuko leaned over to kiss the tip of the water bender's nose. Katara blushed and in return, gave him an Eskimo kiss. "…And it's wonderful that you finally have each other's' backs, but…" Toph tried to continue, no longer able to eat her meal because of the blatant _blech _she was presented with.

The couple mumbled in between each other: words of love, story exchanges, promises; these things Toph could not listen to. Katara reached over and ruffled the Fire Lord's black hair , eliciting a raspy chuckle from him.

"Can you just stop!?" Toph demanded, slamming her fists against the table.

This grabbed the attention of the two older individuals, who stopped their peccadilloes and stared in surprise at the blind girl.

"What's wrong, Toph?" Zuko asked.

The earth bender snarled, "Do you have to rub it in? This gooey crap you call a relationship? I get it, you're happy. Congratulations. How about you not try making steam babies in front of me?"

"…Steam babies?" Zuko questioned, looking puzzled.

"Fire and water…steam," explained Katara, quietly.

Toph rolled her eyes as she knocked her chair over and hurried away. She shouted on her way out, "Love makes me sick!"

The two older people exchanged nonplused glances. Zuko's hand snaked over to the water bender's and he squeezed it. "She needs a boyfriend."

Suddenly, his chair flipped backwards and he was laying on the floor, face down.

As Katara helped him onto his feet, Toph's head popped in through the doorway and she growled, "I told you, I hate love!"

Zuko rubbed his forehead and stated, "Damn earth benders."

Katara laughed softly as she took her place beside him. "She's been on edge all day. She's leaving tomorrow though."

The Fire Lord picked up his cup of tea, replying, "I'd be lying if I said I'd miss her."

"Oh, you don't mean that." Katara gently chastised.

Zuko sipped his beverage before setting it down and confessing, "OK, I lied. I'll miss her a little. Just this much." He held up his index finger and thumb and left less than a centimeter between them.

The water bender rolled her eyes, chuckling. "It's about time we actually got some time alone. These last few weeks have been a nightmare."

The Fire Lord smirked, giving a sultry glare. "I can fix that," he said. He tugged on her hand, yanked her out of her seat and pulled her into his lap. This elicited a giddy squeak from the girl.

Just as they started to really enjoy each other, Ming the servant girl ambled in purposefully. She cleared her throat as the two kissed. Zuko broke the kiss, much to the water bender's chagrin.

The lovers glared at Ming, who dipped into an exaggerated bow. "Lord Zuko," she stated, "A letter from the Earth Kingdom."

Katara raised an eyebrow and looked at her beloved. "You said Kuei never replied."

Zuko gently grasped her hips and slid her off of his lap. Katara stepped back as Zuko took the letter from Ming. "I guess this is the reply," he said, unfurling the scroll.

He settled it onto the table, reading it. His face grew darker and darker by the second, prompting Katara to ask warily, "Another epidemic? Oh, La."

Zuko closed the scroll, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Not exactly. Only a few of the Earth King's guards contracted the disease. They all recovered except…" His voice trailed off.

The water bender gasped at the realization. "Yao…"

The Fire Lord nodded somberly. Katara put a hand over her chest and sighed, "Spirits…poor Toph."

"How do we tell her?" Zuko prompted.

Katara shook her head vehemently, "We don't. She doesn't want to hear about him."

The Fire Lord drummed his fingers on the table and said finally, "Alright. We don't tell her. We don't bring up this letter, OK?"

"Right," Katara agreed, voice cracking.

The servant girl, Ming, had other plans, though. She crept away from the room, tip-toing all the way up to Toph's suite.

The blind girl was curled up on her bed, biting her lip to halt the tears threatening to explode from her eyes. Why did everyone find her so weak? Why didn't anyone trust that she could be independent and strong without a man? Was she really that breakable? Toph was a mountain, strong and sturdy. But one word from Yao reduced her to a heap of rubble. She was a mess now. A mess of emotions, anger, and fear.

She settled her head between her knees, her back curled uncomfortably. Her hands were balled in small fists, pressed against her chest. She sniveled as she gently drummed her hands against her rib cage, as though trying to soothe her aching heart. As she did so, she examined the softness of her own skin. Her breasts felt swollen and smooth. She often heard people raving about women's breasts; they were the nourishment of infants, the pleasure of men, the budding womanhood of a female, the greatest gift from the heavens as some would say.

She rubbed the two buds, wondering how she could bring herself the amount of pleasure she'd heard Katara and Suki speaking of. They'd said something about the nipples; they were important. She found her fingers grazing the two nubs til they went hard and sensitive.

She sighed as she tweaked them. She'd overheard Katara gushing about Zuko putting his mouth on them, blowing on them, heating them with his breath. Toph wondered…could Yao bring her that pleasure? Could anyone?

She figured she could do it on her own. Now she kneaded the skin in its entirety, sighing as the tension she never knew was there suddenly melted away.

One hand snaked its way downwards, finding its way to her core. She was still fully dressed, but she leaned back to tighten the stretch of the fabric on her skin. She needed contact. She simply rubbed, minding to stay within the range of the magical spot she'd also heard much about.

The touch made her close her eyes and sigh. No man could give her this. Not anyone that she'd ever met could understand this kind of tantalizing desire. As she rubbed, she lost all train of thought besides the one directed towards her bodily functions. She felt herself growing somewhat damp, and suddenly, it clicked.

She was aroused. This is what Katara had been talking about. She wondered briefly, _Zuko does this to Katara by kissing her?_

She found that friction was a key factor in her sensuality. Toph subtly spread her legs further apart as she experimented.

Her fun was cut short when a very obnoxious knock beat itself into her door. "Miss Beifong!" Called a singsongy, condescendingly saccharine voice.

Toph pulled her hands away from her body faster than a cheetah could run and sat up. "What?" She asked. Her voice was heavy and breathless.

Ming walked in and smirked, saying, "Miss Beifong, news from the Earth Kingdom."

The blind girl raised an eyebrow. "Oh, from whom exactly?"

Ming answered with a cruel grin spreading over her features, "The Earth King has some very devastating news to share with you."

The Earth King? Toph thought, her mind jumping to his youngest guard. "What's happened?"

"It's his servant," Ming said coldly, "Yao is dead."

Katara and Zuko were drinking tea in the sitting room when they heard Toph's shrill, distraught cry. The water bender nearly jumped out of her seat, dropping her cup of tea as she ran towards the blind girl.

"Oh, no! Toph!"


	10. Chapter 10

For Toph, things were supposed to be normal again. She was back in Yu Dao, living with Anzu, teaching metal bending, and overall terrorizing the town with her greatness. She was supposed to be content. And she was, for the most part. She wasn't depressed or sick like she had been in the Fire Nation. She wasn't angry like she had been on the boat ride back to the Earth Kingdom. Toph felt at rest, calm, and genuinely content for the first time in a long while.

Anzu noted this as she prepared breakfast for the blind girl one foggy morning. She was standing in their small home, in front of the iron oven and heating up some bread. Toph just prepared herself for the day, and confidently made her way downstairs, keeping a hand firmly planted on the metal rail of the structure. Toph had woken up bright and early from a dreamless, deep sleep, and she couldn't help but smile brightly. Anzu chuckled when she saw Toph, saying, "Someone looks well rested."

Toph replied, straightening her back and lifting her nose to the air, "I haven't felt this good in ages."

"That's good," the elderly woman answered, the heat of the oven warming her wrinkled face. Toph monitored the room for the table where she would dine, and followed the heavy impression it left in the floor, which was full of metal nails in the floorboards. She plopped herself onto the cushion and drummed her fingers onto the wooden table. While, yes, she could not see through wood, she liked the texture and hardness. She turned her head back a little to Anzu's direction and declared, "I think I'm going to give my students a pop quiz today." She always informed the elder about her plans, especially with the school. Unlike her own parents, Anzu seemed to have this genuine interest in the things Toph did. She congratulated, praised and loved the blind girl's accomplishments. It partially filled the void in her heart that her parents' expectations had drilled in.

Snorting, the old lady closed the metal oven with a clang and replied, "They already hate you."

Toph felt her frail feet approaching and readied herself for food. She looked up in Anzu's direction and waved her comment off with her hand "They already hate me," she responded, "At least I'm helping them _learn_. They should be kissing my feet in appreciation, dammit."

She set the plate in front of Toph, and the sound of its soft thud signaled the blind girl to reach out and eat. Anzu sat across from her and asked, "You're sure it doesn't bother you? To be loathed by your students?"

The words left a hollow ache inside Toph, but she bit into her bread and responded coolly, "They don't hate me, they just don't like being overworked. My first student—he called himself the 'Dark One'—he pretended to hate me until he learned to metal bend. Then he liked me. All of my students were like that." She chewed hard, grinding her bread to pulp in her suddenly angered jaws.

"Well, that's good. I'd hate for you to make enemies out of people you want to help," Anzu replied. The blind girl stopped chewing, staring right in Anzu's direction, unknowingly locking eyes with her. For a second it was quiet, and some sort of thick tension Toph didn't know was there started to muck up the air. Toph blinked once as her eyes grew dry, then slowly began to chew again. Anzu's sigh was deep and heavy, as though disappointed. Toph gripped her plate with both hands and wondered, _what is this old lady trying to get at? She better not be talking about my parents. It's none of her business!_

The earth bender didn't realize that she'd slammed the plate onto the table so hard that it cracked. Anzu jumped, and Toph could feel the woman's weight shift on the floor.

"Toph!" The elder exclaimed, sounding angry. "Why did you do that?!"

Confused by her own actions, the blind one gradually lifted her hands from the wreckage of the poor, broken plate. Maybe she hadn't noticed because it wasn't made of metal or clay? She wriggled her fingers, hoping to Kyoshi there was no injury involved. When she didn't feel the trickling of blood or the sting of a cut, she sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Anzu. I don't know what came over me. I-I…"

Anzu gently replied, "It's alright, child. As long as you didn't hurt yourself."

As if for the first time, Toph ran her fingers over her skin and checked, just one last time, to see if she'd accidently cut herself. A relieved exhale of breath from Anzu's part made the earth bender guilty. She'd broken one of Anzu's plates—and for what? Because she _thought _that _perhaps _Anzu was implying something? And what if she was? Was she going to earth bend the living shit out of an old lady?

She closed her eyes, stood up and apologized softly. "I'll buy a new one for you on my way home. Promise." Ignoring Anzu's perplexed rejections, the blind girl quickly rushed through the heavy metal door to their apartment. Her face flushed with the realization that she'd severely compromised her living conditions with the old woman. Anzu was forgiving and kind, sure, but she was _old. _If Toph got angry again she could hurt the coot and then where would she be?

Guilt-ridden and confused, Toph tried to focus on the trek to her academy. Her school. It filled the earth bender with pride to call it hers. There were very little things in the world that were Toph's alone. She refused the Beifong fortune plenty of times, her country's pride of her for saving the world also went to Aang and the rest of her friends, much as everyone tried to convince her otherwise. The only things that were really hers were the clothes on her back, her school, and her identity: Toph Beifong, daughter of Poppy and Lao Beifong. Master earth and metal bender. Blind Bandit. Sifu to hundreds of students and the Avatar himself. It was her identity, her life. And she guarded it with her life. And perhaps, she shut out too many. She wondered whether Anzu was one of those people. Aang knew her deepest secrets, as they were best friends and shared similar pains and struggles. But others were different. They didn't know her well enough.

The thoughts of the good natured air bender made Toph's heart ache. She hadn't seen him in a long while since he left the Fire Nation. He always made her smile, and he wasn't there to make her smile when she'd gotten sick again, or when Zuko and Katara started making out in front of her. It wasn't that Toph had romantic feelings for him-he was just too good to her. In her darkest moments she found herself wishing he'd be around.

She stopped walking, and sighed. Spirits, she was lonely.

A knot formed in her gut and it took all of her energy to keep any tears from streaking down her cheeks. Her face still felt warm, and the familiar tingling in her eyes and nose appeared. Toph cussed herself a million times over, knowing that the neighboring people in town would talk if they saw Toph Beifong crying. Toph Beifong didn't cry-unless she was with her close friends. And even then, she'd have to be in a really sour mood.

But she was in a sour mood. And it only grew more unpleasant when she sensed heavy, sloppy footsteps coming in her direction. They were familiar. It took her a moment to remember, as the form approached. Heavyset, probably a little overweight, had trouble walking. She looked in that direction and smirked when she felt the soft brush against the ground.

"Miss Beifong."

Toph tilted her head to the side. She never could understand how he could have such a soft voice and yet claim ownership to such a huge body. "Hey, you're that sweeper boy. What're you doing here?" This was the outskirts of Yu Dao. "I thought you worked on my street?"

The broom stopped moving and he responded, "It's a company, Miss. We're hired wherever we're needed."

"We?"

A shift of large feet. Change of position. "My uncle is taking a break. It's my shift."

Toph nodded, replying. "Huh. Makes sense, I guess. Haven't seen or heard of you since I got back from the Fire Nation."

His heart beat quickened. "Well...frankly...you asked me never to come near your home ever again or you'd pound me into the ground."

Toph felt herself blush with the realization. A laugh trickled out of mouth and she replied, "Sorry. I...didn't mean to frighten you. I just don't like trespassers."

The boy cleared his throat, and there was an uncomfortable silence between the two for a moment before Toph remembered her career and said to the boy, "I have to go. It was...uhm...nice talking to you..." She trailed off, not knowing what to call him.

He answered almost too excitedly, "Daichi."

"Daichi," Toph echoed, smiling. Daichi's heart rate quickened and the blind girl turned and ambled away, still smiling stupidly to herself.


	11. Chapter 11

_Dear Toph,_

_Where have you been, sifu? I came back to the Fire Nation after a meeting with King Bumi last week and Zuko told me you'd gone home. I was pretty disappointed considering I found these crystals I wanted to show you. They're the most beautiful ever, Toph. I was exploring that Cave of Two Lovers, you must know the story, and I was trying to contact the spirit of Oma. Avatar thing, you know? While I was walking, something fell on my head and when I picked it up, it was a crystal from the ceiling of the cave. These crystals are supposed to glow in the presence of true love. They're this clear, bright green color, like the crystals in old Ba Sing Se._

_I had to test them out, since I think Oma was trying to send me some sort of sign. On Ji was still with me at the time, so I kissed her. Yeah, I know, weird right? It's not that I didn't like her or anything but the crystal didn't glow. That's when I knew she wasn't meant for me. I dropped her off and came to visit you in the palace straightaway, because I heard of the epidemic and wanted to wish you well, but you were too fast for me. I keep telling you you're going to bury us all, but knowing you, you've already gotten our graves dug and ready. I really do miss you Toph. Hopefully I'll be in Yu Dao soon._

_Your grateful student,_

_Avatar Aang_

* * *

_Toph,_

_What._

_The._

_Hell._

_I can't believe you, Beifong. I told you to send me a letter when you were feeling better again and here I am, four months after you left, running around after your grimy ass to see how you've been. Do you know how much stress I was under? I was worried sick about you, you little shit. Gah. I can't believe you. The Jerk Lord and my sister hooked up, and you didn't even tell me? Does Aang know? You know how I have to rely on you for news about Katara, and you left me news-less. You've lost your edge, Beifong. I'm ashamed._

_OK, no I'm not. I miss you, Bandit. My father's getting older, and he's already talking to me about taking over the tribe. It's not official, considering I've been putting it off for the United Republic plans and these new inventions I've been brainstorming about. Suki says my ideas have real potential. I think so, too. Soon, you, me, and Aang have to get together and talk about this. We'll be the baddest trio of badassery all over again. What do ya say? I promise I'll come by soon. _

_Wang Fire_

_Sokka the Great_

_p.s. It's Suki, sorry Sokka was being such a dufus. It's great to hear you're OK, Toph. I hope you're still kicking butt, Beifong style. We'll see you around. _

* * *

As Anzu finished reading the last of the letters, Toph blinked back tears. She didn't really know if they were tears of joy, jealousy or nostalgia. She'd missed her boys very much, since she hadn't seen them since she'd gotten sick. Oh, how she wanted just one more chance to punch Sokka's arm! Or use Aang's staff to crush leechi nuts. She missed those days when she saw them every single day. Had she really been without them for more than four months? Well, she'd done it before, so why did she feel so different?

Sokka would become chief of his tribe one day, get married to Suki one day, and become some great leader of the United Republic-at least, that's the way he put it. And Aang. Dear, kind Aang; he was the Avatar-on the move, meeting people and looking for love. It didn't feel right. Everything around her was changing, and yet here she was stuck in this rut. She was spending her days teaching and scaring people.

Toph was getting sick of it, honestly.

She ignored the hot feeling of her cheeks and looked up in Anzu's direction. "I don't really know how to respond to any of this," she confessed ashamedly. The elder, holding the two pieces of papyrus, chuckled softly and approached the younger woman. Toph felt a calloused, rough hand touch her face. The scent of moth balls hit her and she exhaled heavily.

"I didn't even send them anything. I feel bad for not telling them. Sokka hyperventilates when he doesn't know what's going on. He's a spaz like that," the blind one continued.

Anzu replied quietly, "Darling, I wish I knew more about these two young men to tell you what to say, but they're your friends. I'm sure they'll understand. They love you."

Toph drew her knees up and sighed again. In retrospect, maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe she was the one being a spaz. After all, they still loved her. They still wanted to hang out like old times. She quirked the corners of her lips up into a smile. Anzu breathed out a relieved sigh, saying, "It's good to see you smiling, Toph. You could brighten a room like that."

The blind girl felt her smile grow wider and she chuckled, "Your so cheesy, you old coot."

From Anzu's heartbeat and breathing pattern, she could tell the elder was truly happy with her. It made Toph feel good, like she'd pleased her in some way. The old lady began to talk, though, and Toph's smile faded. "I see Daichi spends more and more time around our house."

Hiding a nervous chuckle, Toph replied coolly, "I paid him to clean up around here. Our yard is filthy."

Anzu pretended to look outside the window and responded cheekily, "So it is. I think he's a sweet boy."

The earth bender scoffed, "Sure, I guess."

"Oh, why, there he is," Anzu said excitedly.

Toph's pale eyes flew open and she nearly tripped over her own words, _"What?!"_

Anzu replied, "Oh, I invited him for lunch. He's on his break. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I mind," Toph nearly growled. "I'm not decent!" She felt her own body up and down; she was wearing a gi today, as she'd closed up the academy for the day. Anzu rolled her blue eyes and retorted, "I highly doubt that's your biggest issue with his visit."

Toph would have replied had it not been for the heavy, sluggish footsteps that neared their front door. Before she could even stand up and protest it, there was a knock. Anzu readily opened the door and greeted him with a cheery "Hello, young man," and the boy replied with, "Good afternoon, Ma'am. Thank you for having me." Toph wanted to barf from all the formalities.

Then, she could feel his breathing changed and he took a step closer to her. "Miss Beifong, you look...nice today," he said.

Toph crossed her arms over her chest and replied, "Hey, Daichi. You do, too."

His heart rate peaked and he began to sputter, "Oh, thank you, I-" and then he realized she was joking. Then he blushed and went awkwardly silent. Toph laughed, making his heart pound even more. "Oh, come on, broom boy. I was only teasing."

Daichi blushed again. Anzu laughed softly to herself in the corner of the room, near the kitchen. "I'll get the dumplings," she called before her footsteps disappeared into another room.

Toph gestured towards the table in the middle of the room and said, "Sit down. You must be tired."

"Thank you," Daichi answered. He trudged towards the table and slowly, ever so slowly lowered himself onto the ground. Toph felt a little embarrassed when she saw he wasn't sitting on anything. "Do you want a cushion or something?"

He shook his head and responded gratefully, "No thank you. I'm fine."

"Suit yourself," the blind girl retorted before sitting across from him. Everything was silent between them. Toph was trying to find a way to ask him about his leg. She knew something was wrong with it, the way he dragged it alongside him like it was some sort of dead weight. She wanted to ask him brusquely, just throw it out there, but Toph knew deep down it would wound him, the way people were insensitive about her blindness-she would never admit it, but it did hurt.

"Where did you live before Yu Dao?" She finally asked.

Daichi replied, "With my mother in Ba Sing Se. It was too much for me, though, so I moved here. with my uncle."

"What do you mean it was 'too much'?"

He shifted his weight on the ground and Toph could tell the conversation was going to get deep. "The air is way more polluted in the capital than it is here. Ba Sing Se has a lot of factories, and factories equal gases and toxins. Ever since I was a child, I'd had breathing problems so my mother sent to live here, because Yu Dao's air is relatively clean and easy to breathe in."

"I'm sorry," Toph replied. It was the only thing she could say.

Daichi waved it off. "It's nothing, honestly. I think the air is better for my leg, too."

_Bingo,_ Toph thought. "What about your leg?" She feigned innocence, pretending not to realize that something was very wrong with it. He would believe it, considering she couldn't even see him.

"Well," he started, "when I was ten I found this barrel of exploding jelly some Earth Kingdom soldiers had. I knew it was soldiers because the Dai Lee worked secretly and didn't need any sort of weapon besides their bending. Anyways, I was poor and needed some entertainment so I thought I could explode something and it would cause fireworks. I got myself a set of matches and the explosion got off to a rough start. The fire burned through half off the jelly and nothing went 'boom' so I tried to step on it, to put out the fire and clean it up. And that's when it exploded, apparently you need a good weight to get that stuff going. I'm pretty sure I flew up about twenty feet. My leg went flying in the other direction. Basically, when my mother found me I suffered severe blood loss and needed a new leg. With the money she had she bought me a wooden prosthetic. That's why I walk weird. It's a little small and heavy and it keeps slipping."

The blind girl didn't know what to say. But she felt tears prickle her eyes and she cleared her throat. Thankfully, before she said something to severely embarrass herself, or hurt Daichi, Anzu walked in carrying their lunch. She had a big smile creasing her elderly face. "Who wants sweetened dumplings?" She announced.

Daichi sensed her discomfort and reached over, pushing a plate of food in front of her. "I didn't come here to eat all the food you know. I may be fat but I'm no pig."

Toph smiled in his direction, and Anzu started to ask him questions and he would answer politely. Daichi was an honest, genuine person with a heart of gold. The earth bender concluded that she did enjoy his presence. But she also knew what Anzu was up to. She wanted Toph and Daichi to be 'more than friends'. Well, Toph wouldn't have that. She wasn't ready for love. And from the looks of it, Daichi didn't know what was going on. _You poor soul,_ Toph thought.

After two hours, when the boy left, Toph glared at the elder and growled. "Get a quill. I want to write the boys back."

Anzu just smirked triumphantly.

* * *

**Hey guys. How'd you like that chapter? Hopefully you found it good. I've had writer's block regarding this fic for a while. I know who Toph is getting with but I don't know how to approach it yet. Gah. It's all because of college. I have to be serious of this program because it's my future so updates will be less frequent. My tumblr is something I check daily, though, so please look at that when you have time.**

**Also, the underlined parts in Sokka's letter are meant to be in the middle of the words, like they'd been crossed out. **

**And. And. Korra is BACK, ya'll. WE ARE BACK. I'm just so in love with Book 2, right now. Except for some of the crappy decisions Korra has made. And damn you, Katara for giving me Sokka feels. Damn you to Hell.**

**So, please review and give me any kind of feedback. I love to hear from you.**


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